With the transfer window more difficult to predict and more expensive to buy into than ever before, there is a growing need for talented young players to be developed at home and progress through the ranks to the first-team.
Over the last few years, we have been very successful with this, producing the likes of Raheem Stering and Jordon Ibe – as well as Jon Flanagan, Martin Kelly and Joao Carlos Teixeira to name but a few.
One of the most important factors in helping these young players develop is to find the right places for them to go on loan – as Ibe did with both Birmingham and Derby – and allowing them to get a taste of senior football.
SEE MORE:
Liverpool’s five best players so far this season, including three new signings and Simon Mignolet
Balotelli claims, ‘I knew I’d one day return to AC Milan’ as striker completes medical
So far this summer, nine players have already followed in those footsteps, and in the list below we’re going to detail what we’re hoping to see from each of them this season – whether that be proving they deserve an immediate first-team chance or whether it’s simply increasing their sell-on value.
Here are our nine names thus far…
Luis Alberto (with Deportivo La Coruna)
The 22-year-old doesn’t look likely to have a future with Liverpool, particularly with his profile having been removed from our official website. However, Brendan Rodgers will no doubt be hoping that the midfielder is able to put in a handful of decent showings and help us recoup the majority of what we paid for him back in 2013.
Lloyd Jones (with Blackpool)
It could be a long and arduous season for the 19-year-old centre-back, who has been thrown in at the deep end with cash-strapped Blackpool as they desperately attempt to avoid relegation. He’s certainly going to find himself very busy over the next year and a few good performances will make people higher up the leagues take notice.
Sheyi Ojo (with Wolverhampton Wanderers)
A real bright spark for the future and the man perhaps most likely to follow Jordon Ibe into the first-team. It’s amazing to think that he’s still 18 and he has the chance to be part of a very exciting set-up at Wolves who are looking towards gaining promotion to the Premier League. He could easily be in our first-team in a year’s time.
Kevin Stewart (with Swindon Town)
There were a few raised eyebrows when we signed a player already in his 20s from Tottenham last season, with the word starlet now generally reserved for teenagers. However, he’s got versatility on his side and has done plenty to suggest that he could be something of a late bloomer. If he can score us a healthy profit then so much the better.
Lawrence Vigouroux (with Swindon Town)
The young goalkeeper was outstanding against Liverpool when he played for Swindon in our pre-season friendly earlier this month, albeit with that late mistake allowing Ojo to score the winner. He has the chance to really shine this season and prove that he could potentially be our third choice stopper, ahead of Ward and Fulton, next year.
Danny Ward (with Aberdeen)
Of course, he won’t go down without a fight. Having been utilised as the first-choice back-up to Simon Mignolet for much of the second-half of last season, he’ll know that he still has the chance to prove himself to Rodgers and co with some strong performances in Scotland. He and Aberdeen have started well, so one to keep an eye on.
Jordan Williams (with Swindon Town)
The third of our players currently with the League One promotion chasers – his performances have already been good enough to earn him a maiden call-up to the Welsh national squad. Having made his first-team debut in the League Cup last year he’s clearly rated highly and he must continue to justify that faith over the coming year.
Harry Wilson (with Crewe Alexandra)
One of the most exciting talents currently in the Liverpool academy, albeit one that is still very much in its infancy – Ojo has arguably slipped ahead of him in the pecking order for the time being but there’s no reason why this 18-year-old, already a Welsh international, can’t take League One by storm before moving up again post-January.
Andre Wisdom (with Norwich City)
A player whose days are surely numbered at Anfield, despite him signing a new contract only this summer. A move to newly promoted Norwich must feel like a backward step after a year with West Brom, particularly considering the fact that he’s still struggling to establish himself as a regular; sell-on value is the priority here.
