Sky Sports confirmed earlier today that Liverpool had sealed a deal for 16-year-old sensation Bobby Adekanye, formerly of Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven. The winger will join a talented academy squad that already includes the likes of Harry Wilson, Sheyi Ojo and Jerome Sinclair.
SEE MORE:
Ten things to know about Bobby Adekanye, the 16-year-old winger who’s Liverpool bound
Liverpool fans name their ten most valuable players – 99.1% rating for Coutinho
Liverpool fans name five first-teamers they want to ditch – including Mario Balotelli and Jose Enrique
In response, the Liverpool Echo have taken a look back at some of the more memorable – for both the right reasons and the wrong – who preceded him at Anfield and also earned the tag, ‘wonderkid’. We do the same below.
Wayne Harrison (Never played)
Cost Liverpool £250,000 in 1985, making him the world’s most expensive teenager. Joe Fagan even described him as a ‘special player’, after he made the move from Oldham. Unfortunately, injuries plagued his short-lived career and he retired in 1991 at the age of just 23. He sadly died from cancer on Christmas Day in 2013.
Michael Owen (Liverpool debut – 1997)
Scored 118 Premier League goals for the Reds before joining Real Madrid in 2004. Injuries took the toll on much of his later career which he finished with spells at Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke City. He’s now working as a pundit and commentator for BT Sport and has had some success with racing horses.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool debut – 1998)
The iconic former Liverpool captain made in excess of 700 appearances for Liverpool, winning every major trophy other than Premier League, including – most famously – the Champions League in 2005. He left us at the end of last season following the expiration of his contract and moved to the MLS, where he joins LA Galaxy.
Alou Diarra (Never played)
Diarra was likened to Patrick Vierra by Reds boss Gerard Houllier when he joined us from Bayern Munich in 2002. However, he spent the entirety of his three year Liverpool career out on loan and he was subsequently moved on to Lens. He’s more recently appeared in the Premier League for West Ham and is now with Charlton.
Florent Sinama-Pongolle (Liverpool debut – 2003)
Despite scoring a couple of memorable goals for the Reds, he was never able to establish himself as a regular in Rafael Benitez’s plans. He moved to Spain in 2006 and has since become something of a journeyman striker, never staying anywhere for more than a couple of years. Recently joined Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland.
Paul Anderson (Never played)
Anderson was likened to Michael Owen when he joined us from Hull City in 2006. A series of decent loan spells followed but he didn’t do enough to ever earn a Premier League debut. He’s currently without a club having been released by Ipswich Town at the end of last season. Also been with Nottingham Forest and Bristol City.
Mikel San Jose (Never played)
Arguably one of the greatest mistakes Liverpool made when it came to ditching young players this century. San Jose joined Athletic Bilbao in 2010 and has since made almost 150 La Liga appearances for them. He’s even won three international caps for Spain, after making his debut in 2014. He’s still only 26 years old as well. What a loss.
Damien Plessis (Liverpool debut – 2008)
Another Patrick Vieira wannabe who never even game close to fulfilling his potential. Ironically, he made his debut against Arsenal, but Roy Hodgson was far less keen on the youngster and gave his shirt number to Christian Poulsen (a big improvement that one). He’s now playing for La Berrichonne in the French second division.
Gerardo Bruna (Never played)
This kid was meant to be the next Lionel Messi… and now plays for Accrington Stanley. You can probably fill in most of what happened in between for yourselves. The Agrentine-born midfielder has also had spells with Blackpool, Tranmere Rovers and Conference South side Whitehawk. He once turned down Real Madrid as well.
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool debut – 2012)
Sterling won the award for the world’s best young player last year and you can’t help but feel that, if he could sort out his attitude, he could be something really special. It’s such a shame that he appears to have spoiled his reputation with us Liverpool fans. It will certainly be interesting to see which shirt he starts next season at.
Suso (Liverpool debut – 2012)
A lot of people were sad to see this highly-rated Spanish midfielder being allowed to leave the club earlier this year. The 21-year-old joined AC Milan and unfortunately managed to land himself a red card on just his sixth appearance for the club in all competitions. He’ll no doubt be hoping to do better next season.
Jordon Ibe (Liverpool debut – 2013)
Liverpool’s latest prodigy looks to be the real deal. After successful loan spells with Birmingham City and Derby County, as well as highly promising start to his career as a Red, many eyes will be on his continued progress next season. If he can continue his recent upward trajectory then truly anything is possible for him.
