Caught up in the torrent of bigger moves made by Liverpool this season, like signing Alisson, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Fabinho, are many smaller moves they have made. Whether that is sending players out on loan or signing them up for the long-term future, there have been quite a few made by the club. Today, I'll be taking a look at five Liverpool players who have had moves involving them made this season and give you my breakdown of them, but short and long-term.
Rhian Brewster:
When rumors of a shock move from Liverpool to Germany and Borussia Monchengladbach emerged about Brewster, fans of Liverpool were nervous, and for good reason. English youth players have been moving with a fair amount of frequency to Germany to get more game time. The best known of these youth is Jadon Sancho, who moved from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund, but there are plenty more. Ademola Lookman of Everton was loaned out to RB Leipzig and seems hopeful to find a permanent move there, Reece Oxford spent two spells at Monchengladbach and also seems likely to find a home in Germany, and Monchenglad also has two permanent English mainstays on their roster in Mandela Egbo, former Crystal Palace youth, and Keanan Bennetts, signed this summer from Tottenham. The moves represent a clear statement from English youth players: we need to go somewhere to be developed as players, and staying in England is not working.
Fortunately for Reds fans, Jurgen Klopp was able to convince their starlet that staying with Liverpool is right for his development, and he is actually the sole player on this list of five I am discussing that will be with the club for the 2018-19 campaign. Brewster achieved massive highs, like winning the Golden Boot of the U-17 World Cup, in the season, but also had deep lows. Brewster suffered racial abuse in the UEFA Youth League and suffered a season ending ankle/knee injury in January 2018. His resilience has been that of a seasoned pro and the firm backing of the club is lovely to see. Brewster has signed a five-year contract and will be a member of the senior squad once he is fully healed.
This is brilliant news for Liverpool fans. Liverpool have had a nice stretch of talented youth players, but the 18-year-old Brewster is, in my opinion, the cream of the crop. An out-and-out number nine, Brewster's finishing and composure is far beyond his years and he showcased it regularly on the international stage as well as on the U23 level. Physically, Brewster is already fairly well-developed, as at 5'11" he is no push-over on the pitch and has the ability to use a bit of strength to stay on the ball. I like his vision a lot, that combined with his nice pace can mean he has the ability to fill in on the wing, but that wastes his best abilities. We must see how his develops after a massive injury, but I would not be too concerned. His young age means he can have another full year to get back into the swing of the game before being counted on for anything. The future is very bright with Rhian Brewster as Liverpool's number nine.
Taiwo Awoniyi:
Awoniyi is a bit of a sad tale as far as Liverpool youth players go. The 20-year-old Nigerian is a month off his 21st birthday, but has yet to get a work permit to star with Liverpool, much to the dismay of those in the club. His signing of a long-term contract to stick with the club shows the faith that Klopp on those on the inside have in his ability, as breaking through soon in the Nigerian senior team likely means his work permit nightmare will reach a conclusion. The striker performed well in Belgium last season with Royal Excel Mouscron and will be making the step up next season from the side that finished 14th in the league to the side finished fourth and qualified for the Europa League in KAA Gent, where he will join country-mate Moses Simon on a side that will hope to build off a solid 2017-18 campaign.
In terms of play style, Awoniyi has a lot to like. The striker is big and strong at just 20 and can hold off opposition players with his size. Some of his best goals from last season in Belgium are ones where he holds off an opposing defender while making a long run, then finishing well past the keeper. His pace is good enough to get past defenders, and while it's not blow-away speed it is definitely good enough to where if he can buy into the Klopp system upon getting his work permit, he will absolutely harass defenders trying to play out from the back. What I like is his ability to hold up play, stop with the ball, and look for an open man, because he has the passing ability to send through a through ball or find an open man, which is, of course, a great trait for your striker to have. It will be easier to follow him this upcoming season on one of Belgium's 'big four' sides along with having Europa League qualifiers to track him in (starting August 9th against the winner of Jagiellonia Bialystok and Rio Ave), his development will be vital this season, as a good performance could move him into senior Nigerian contention.
Harry Wilson:
This is the youth player most Liverpool fans are most familiar with. Best known for being the youngest player to ever be capped for the Welsh national team, now 21, Wilson is another player who has committed his long-term future to Liverpool as he signed a five-year deal this summer, before heading on loan for the season at Derby County under English great Frank Lampard. Wilson had a very successful loan at Hull City last season and was a vital reason as to why they stayed in the Championship, so it seems logical that his next step up from that is a loan with a Derby side that will be in the hunt for not just promotion, but automatic promotion. Questions have been asked of Klopp as to why Wilson has not featured regularly with the senior squad, but Wilson's game still relies a bit heavily on speed and flair, and he is not fully developed to feature on a Liverpool side, but there is still a lot to like about him.
There is a reason Harry Wilson was wanted by many of the top teams of the Championship, including reported interest from all three newly relegated sides, despite some physical attributes lacking. Wilson's movement was on full display on his two goals against Chester F.C. this preseason, and is a nice microcosm of what makes him so skilled. On the wings he offers pace and directness with an ability to read defenses as well as his own teammates in figuring out what they want him to do. He's a great creator on the attack that can play on either wing and even saw time as an attacking midfielder. His finishing is brilliant from both long range and close in, especially for a winger, and a future front line with he and Brewster together would be absolutely lethal when it comes to end product. His time at Hull really showcased his skills as he routinely carved up defenses with bits of skill en route to seven goals and three assists. Some may feel negatively about Wilson heading out on loan again, but a spell with Derby, a club who will challenge for promotion is a more positive situation than that he faced last season and should provide a great opportunity to showcase his skills.
Ovie Ejaria:
The fourth player on this list is also the final one that signed a long-term contract this summer. Ejaria is a former Arsenal youth player who made the jump over to Liverpool at the age of 16 and impressed quickly in the midfield. Now 20 and on loan with Rangers following a stint at Sunderland last season, Ejaria is coming upon a key moment in his career. With Liverpool having strengthened their midfield heavily this summer, he will need to impress and make a step up in his quality in order to push himself into discussion as being worthy for regular game time next season, at risk of getting loaned out next season again. There is a reason Klopp was so high on Ejaria early on in his managerial career and of course enough to give him a long-term deal to keep him at the club. So what exactly is it?
Ejaria's best trait, perhaps, is his versatility. With great tackling about, a nice passing range, and ability going forward, Ejaria can play a more attacking midfielder position, a box-to-box role, or even as a holding midfielder. He's strong enough to hold his own and should continue to develop, especially with Rangers under Steven Gerrard. Despite starting to get older, Ejaria still has a lot of ability that remains raw. His footballing mind will continue to grow to match his technical ability, and his mind is indeed already quite sharp. He has quick feet and solid dribbling ability, which also should help him in the Scottish Premiership in getting around some of the rougher tackles he may face. A lot of this season will have to be geared towards developing himself as a player in combination with helping along the cause for Rangers, and there must be a balance found within that. His best position is probably in that box-to-box role and in will be interesting to see if indeed he sees major minutes at that spot under Gerrard.
Ryan Kent:
Our final man is a recent mover out on loan, also to Rangers under Steven Gerrard. Signing a long-term deal last season, Kent is 21 and still remains a bit of a mystery. A home-grown Liverpool academy lad, Kent rose to notoriety by winning Barnsley's young player of the year award at the end of their 2016-17 campaign and had a fairly stellar loan time with them. Unfortunately, Kent's development hit a snag at Freiburg, so much so that he was called back by Liverpool and loaned out again to limited success to Bristol City. Now, Kent will hope to provide attack-starved Rangers with an outlet on the wing and will personally hope to find that sort of joy that he had while with Barnsley.
In terms of play, Kent can play on either wing offering the same sort of technicality on both sides. During the preseason he was placed in a deeper center-mid role which was interesting, but I highly doubt he will see much time at Rangers at that position given their need for wingers. Kent will likely not influence the game by scoring the game-winning goal or even the pass leading to one, but what he gives is a man on the wing that can dribble around outside-backs and make those around him better. His ability in tight spaces will be key and I think he should be able to deal with defensive pressure well with his bag of tricks. The key to his spell will be confidence with Rangers and confidence in his own play. Kent is technically perhaps the most technically gifted winger of the Liverpool's three young wingers (Kent, Wilson, and Sheyi Ojo, another intriguing young player whose future either at Liverpool or perhaps on loan to a side like Middlesbrough is undecided) but he is also probably the farther from a finished product. His time at Rangers should help change that.
Final Thoughts:
Liverpool really are in a good spell in terms of producing young talent. We saw with Trent Alexander-Arnold that the quality of some is there, and we've seen with Joe Gomez that there is an eye for talent from the club's management, but fans always want to see homegrown players in their sides. This does not even cover players like Dominic Solanke or Sheyi Ojo, both of whom have been linked to loan moves, or Curtis Jones and Rafa Camacho, who have impressed this preseason and look set for big years at the youth levels. Sustainability is key. If Liverpool wish to develop into a top English side challenging for titles for years to come, they need to build their own talent to do so. This generation is an outstanding start.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more player discussion, as well as plenty of other Liverpool talk as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball discussion.
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