I guess my point was if the choice is Fabinho or Williams for a cb slot klopp would (at least he did) pick Fabinho every time… so what’s the point of keeping Williams? Let him go and show what he can do on weekly basis and build a bit of value.
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U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 23: Leicester City
Another club who develop young players very effectively, Leicester will undoubtedly be disappointed with their relegation from Premier League Two, especially as some of the members of that team are considered as first team prospects.
At U18 level, Leicester also struggled finishing second bottom and with a top scorer - Will Russ - grabbing just eight goals. In response to the poor performances, fifteen players have been released as they try to narrow their focus on more talented individuals.
Brendan Rodgers is well known for his player development and can boast the likes of James Maddison as a successful example of his leadership but it is fair to say the quality of players coming up from Leicester’s academy is generally a level below the Premier League.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Jakub Stolarczyk |
| CB | Darragh O’Connor |
| CB | Ben Nelson |
| RB | Vontae Daley-Campbell |
| LB | Shane Flynn |
| CM | Callum Hulme |
| CM | Thakgalo Leshabela |
| CM | Sidnei Tavares |
| RW | Kasey McAteer |
| LW | Thanawat Suengchitthawon |
| CF | Jacob Wakeling |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Arlo Doherty |
| CB | Freddie Cook |
| CB | Harvey Godsmark-Ford |
| RB | Jahmari Lindsay |
| LB | Thomas Wilson-Brown |
| CM | Brandon Cover |
| CM | Sammy Braybrooke |
| CM | Zach Booth |
| RW | Joe Wormleighton |
| LW | Jack Butterfill |
| CF | Kian Pennant |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Sidnei Tavares
- Position: CM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Portuguese
Tavares was fast-tracked into the first team fold in 2020, having appeared in just a handful of U23 matches, to fend off interest from Barcelona in the creative midfielder. Playing like a carbon copy of Youri Tielemens, Tavaras is a clever passer with excellent technical skills and a creative mind. He has a good long strike in the locker but mostly bases his game on passing. Also like Tielemens he struggles to get around the pitch at a high intensity making him a bit of a liability for high press systems. With Tielemens looking set to stay for another season, I expect to see Tavares given some opportunities to prove he can take over from the Belgian were he to leave in 2022.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
- Position: DM
- Age: 22
- Nationality: English
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has spent the last two years on loan - first to Blackpool and then Luton with an impressive pre-season in 2020 squashed between the two. For Luton he quickly developed into one of the stand out players in the Championship. As a tenacious and tough tackling defensive midfielder the left-footer was a firm fans favourite and displayed a diverse skill set including long range passes, set piece taking and shooting. By the end of the year Luton fans were hailing him as the best player on their team. Wilfreid Ndidi is a terrific talent in defensive midfield and Boubakary Soumare has recently arrived but, at twenty-two years old, Dewsbury-Hall has done everything he possibly can to show he deserves more chances.
Kamal Sowah
- Position: RW
- Age: 21
- Nationality: Ghanian
Having spent three years on loan at Leuven, before finally receiving a work permit this year, Kamal Sowah has earned plenty of first team experience with over fifty matches for the Belgian side. An impressive 2020/21 campaign saw him score eight goals and add in six assists from the wide right position. A slight figure, Sowah relies on pace to supplement a neat technical game. Having returned to Leicester this pre-season he has played an active part in the first team squad and Rodgers has apparently ruled out another short term move, with the Ghanaian international set to be given an opportunity to prove he belongs at the club.
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I think he could get a championship, if Clarkson can so will Rhys imo. Get at centre half it’s difficult but he’s a big lad with prem experience and champions league experience aswell. Weaker championship clubs would go for that. I’d rather him go to a relegation battling club in the championship so he’s up against it every week and his weaknesses will be exposed which in the long term will help him massively.
He won’t play a minute here, u23s football after the season he has will be a massive back step, should push Jürgen for a loan move like Harvey did.
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Did Elliott do that? First I’m hearing of it.
The pattern for our younger prospects who aren’t quite ready seems to be the same. Right after they come in, a season with the first team, and occasional appearance on bench or in cup games. Then loaned out, before coming back stronger. I don’t think it’s necessarily a push from Elliott.
Thought I heard somewhere he asked at the start of last season, but just tried to find a link but can’t see anything so maybe I’m dreaming that up, apologise.
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Yeah I remember it was Elliott asked to be allowed when they made the move for him on loan, the club probably would have rejected it otherwise.
You mean except for in 5 of out last 7 league games?
Wtf?
At no point did Rhys Williams relegate Fabinho to the bench. Whereas Fabinho did relegate Rhys to the bench. A clear indication as to who Klopp preferred at CB if it was a straight choice.
For the 5 games you’re talking about we either weren’t able to name a single CB on the bench or it was Koumetio. Koumetio was literally the only player you can definitively state was below Rhys in the pecking order.
U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 24: Middlesbrough
Probably the only club in the North-East that can genuinely claim to be a quality youth academy is Middlesbrough. Last season Marc Bola, Dael Fry, Marcus Tavernier and Djed Spence - all graduates of the academy - played over two thousand minutes each. Financial constraints at the Riverside have contributed to this but Middlesbrough have always had an efficient youth system.
The fact is it is just not possible to turn every player into a world beater and some of the best talents may have already broken through here. Djed Spence and Dael Fry in particular look like Premier League players in waiting.
The current crop have achieved good results at U23 and U18 level so some of the players there are presumably still talented enough to make a push - especially as Middlesbrough’s money woes do not appear to have subsided.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Max Metcalfe |
| CB | Nathan Wood |
| CB | Jack Robinson |
| RB | Daniel Dodds |
| LB | Williams Kokolo |
| CM | Isaac Fletcher |
| CM | Hayden Hackney |
| CM | Connor Malley |
| RW | Sam Folarin |
| LW | Alberto Balde |
| CF | Josh Coburn |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Henry Popple |
| CB | Ben Beals |
| CB | Frankie Whelan |
| RB | George Gitau |
| LB | Josh Marshall |
| CM | Jack Stott |
| CM | Alfie Doherty |
| CM | Luke Woolston |
| RW | Nathan Simpson |
| LW | John Fenton |
| CF | Calum Kavanagh |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Hayden Hackney
- Position: CM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
Hackney is a former England schoolboy international who has played over forty times for Middlesbrough’s U23 team despite only turning eighteen in June. Having signed a new contract in May, Hackney has proceeded to earn significant game time in pre-season, building upon his exposure to first team training last year. Quick enough to play out wide, although more comfortable in the middle, Hackney is technically proficient with a nimble running style. Unusually for a central player he loves to run at players which helps to cause problems within the opposition defence but his slight frame makes playing often in the Championship something of a risk.
Nathan Wood
- Position: CB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
Wood has been linked with a loan move this season but currently one has not emerged and the youngster is edging closer to a first team spot. Having spent the second half of last season as a regular at Crewe Alexandra, Wood returned to Middlesbrough and has been playing as part of a three man defence alongside Dael Fry and Paddy McNair. Wood is currently the youngest player to ever appear for Middlesbrough when he played against Notts County aged sixteen years and seventy-two days and the England U19 international is now well-placed to either have a strong loan spell or to make serious first team headway. A cultured defender with the ability to step into midfield, Wood is a real Premier League prospect.
Connor Malley
- Position: CM
- Age: 21
- Nationality: English
Another central midfielder with potential to become a first teamer. Malley is slightly further down the road of development than Hackney with the twenty-one year old having made three league appearances last season and earning the man of the match award on his debut. Having spent short amounts of time with both Ayr United and Carlisle United, Malley will now be looking at becoming a regular in the first team squad given the lack of numbers in the squad. A composed midfielder, Malley is good at keeping possession and is always looking to create opportunities but is a fairly plodding runner. With Middlesbrough lacking depth currently, Malley could easily see himself making more appearances next season.
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Fabinho in CM with Williams at CB is preferred to Williams on the bench, Fabinho at CB and someone like Keita or Ox in CM. Judging by last games of the season. Williams got taken out of the lime light when he had a difficult few games before Christmas. By the end of the season he was starting and impressing. He’s 19, he was 18 at the start of last season. He improved over the course of the season you seem to be taking his performances before Christmas as the judge of whether he was good enough, those included two CL games against a very very good attacking Atalanta side who we got a clean sheet against in one game. In the 5 games he started at the end of the season we only conceded 3 goals. He’s not as bad now as he was at the start of last year.
No I don’t. For WIlliams to play instead of Fabinho, all the other CBs (minus 1 partner) would have to be injured, as well as Henderson and possibly one other CM, forcing Fabinho back into DM instead of CB, forcing Klopp to play Williams. Henderson was hurt for those last games, and we had very limited options at DM.
The boy did do well, but let’s not get carried away with expectations for him.
Yep, against Southampton, United (conceded 2), West Brom, Burnley and Crystal Palace.
I’m judging him on his entire showing to date and I don’t think he’s good enough. He’s not going to prove otherwise in PL2, he should go out on loan.
You’re missing the point. You said Klopp would pick Fabinho at CB over Williams buy he didn’t. He’d shown no hesitation playing Wijnaldum as the 6 and could have played Thiago there. Klopp decided Fabinho in midfield and Williams at CB was the better option and Williams did fine.
So what did he do wrong in those games?
He would and he did, but injuries in mid forced him to move Fab back up, and Williams had a nice run of games after. I would expect same again. There is a reason Gini, Milner, Thiago, etc. all had a go at DM before he decided to give Williams a chance and move Fab back up. If Henderson was fit, Williams would not have played imo.
All that said, I know you like to stick to your guns, so don’t want to keep going around in circles. I think it would be more beneficial to us and to Williams to send him on loan to boost value and gain experience, as I don’t really see the value of having a CB below some of our CMs on the depth chart in the squad, as I think his physical tools will mean he isn’t ever going to be suited to playing for Liverpool long term. Happy to be proven wrong, but don’t see it with him.
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U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 25: Manchester City
Shock news… Man City have an expensively assembled group of wonderkids. What do you mean that’s what you expected?! Strangely, perhaps, it is actually not the bought in talent that shines most at Man City, instead it is the locally sourced and developed talents who look set to push pressure on the City first team (if such a thing is possible).
By no means an exhaustive list of top tier talent, my chosen three doesn’t even mention Tommy Doyle, James McAtee, Taylor Harwood-Bellis nor any of a whole host of Premier League calibre prospects. It’s hard to break through at Man City, only Phil Foden and Ferran Torres managed over 1000 minutes as U23 players last season, but I expect the Premier League will soon be awash with Man City academy graduates.
At U18 level, the talent just continues to flow. Carlos Borges and Tai Sodje are pencilled in to be the starters in attack for a second straight year but both could easily be promoted to U23 duty depending on how players above them are used or loaned. Borges assisted 19 goals and scored 13 in a stunning season while Tai Sodje added 19 goals himself. Another big talent is Shea Charles and he may compete with Luke Mbete for a starting job at U23 level also.
No matter your thoughts on how it was funded or or issues people have with Man City there is no denying they have done a sterling job of amassing talent. Reigning champions of both youth leagues (as well the Premier League) they’ll be favourites once again even though they will likely end up with dozens of players out on loan.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Cieran Slicker |
| CB | Finley Burns |
| CB | Luke Mbete |
| RB | CJ Egan-Riley |
| LB | Callum Doyle |
| CM | Claudio Gomes |
| CM | Tommy Doyle |
| CM | James McAtee |
| RW | Cole Palmer |
| LW | Samuel Edozie |
| CF | Liam Delap |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Mikki van Sas |
| CB | Shea Charles |
| CB | Jadel Katongo |
| RB | Rico Lewis |
| LB | Juan Larios |
| CM | Darko Gyabi |
| CM | Harvey Griffiths |
| CM | Micah Hamilton |
| RW | Joel Ndala |
| LW | Carlos Borges |
| CF | Tai Sodje |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Cole Palmer
- Position: AM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
England U19 international Cole Palmer had an incredible year at U23 level last season with thirteen goals and six assists in just sixteen appearances. Although he is often deployed wide on the right of an attacking three at youth level, Palmer lacks top end pace and thus projects as a central attacking midfielder at first team level. Playing with a similar style as Kevin De Bruyne, Palmer is an intelligent player who uses space well. He has a calm demeanor on the pitch and excellent technical ability. Unfortunately for Palmer the competition for places will be fierce - especially given his similarities to the already established Phil Foden - but the expansive midfielder will find his way to regular Premier League football someday.
Liam Delap
- Position: CF
- Age: 18
- Nationality: English
The cool-finishing Liam Delap got his chance in the Man City first team during the 2020/21 season, scoring against Leicester. He has long been marked out as an exciting talent, combining composed finishing with an excellent footballing brain. His runs are precise, link up play is crisp and his physical profile is perfect for a transition to Premier League football. With Man City “struggling” for options in attack, Guardiola has challenged Delap to force his hand this pre-season but a more likely outcome may be a high level loan move which will go a long way to testing whether he is as good as he looks at youth level.
Samuel Edozie
- Position: LW
- Age: 18
- Nationality: English
Signed from Millwall in 2019, Edozie has forced his way into first team reckoning during an excellent pre-season in 2021. The winger is incredibly quick and versatile, driving to either byline at will. He got five goals and two assists in his first season at U23 level which doesn’t sound outstanding on paper but Edozie has shown game breaking ability with his sheer pace and technique while finishing touches may be applied by others. He did show he is not all bluster and no end product during this pre-season as the England U18 international grabbed three goals in a shortened tour. Edozie can expect plenty of game time in cup competitions this season.
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What a shame the way Ojo’s career has gone. The boy is very clearly talented enough to play at or near the highest level, but for whatever reason it hasn’t happened for him.
Any of the top to middling sides in Germany could do a lot worse than taking a punt on him.
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U23 & U18 Premier League Preview - Episode 26: Manchester United
I know, I know… you don’t come onto a Liverpool forum to read praise about Manchester United but in this context it is hard to deny that they are an excellent place for young players with the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Dan James all getting lots of football and plenty of talented players waiting in the wings for their opportunity as well.
Of course they have a collection of expensively assembled prospects but Man Utd also thrive at developing young talent - seemingly boxing off the market for elite players in west Manchester while Man City mop up in the east.
Solksjaer has his flaws, using young players isn’t one of them, expect to see plenty more involvement from the youth squads this season. As a disclaimer, I decided Mason Greenwood was too established to make this list - make no mistake he is a tremendous player.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Ondrej Mastny |
| CB | Bjorn Hardley |
| CB | Martin Svidersky |
| RB | Charlie Wellens |
| LB | Alvaro Fernandez |
| CM | Hannibal Mejbri |
| CM | Charlie Savage |
| CM | Zidane Iqbal |
| RW | Anthony Elanga |
| LW | Shola Shoretire |
| CF | Joe Hugill |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Radek Vitek |
| CB | Rhys Bennett |
| CB | Willy Kambwala |
| RB | Marc Jurado |
| LB | Logan Pye |
| CM | Daniel Gore |
| CM | Kobbie Mainoo |
| CM | Isak Hansen-Aaroen |
| RW | Omari Forson |
| LW | Ethan Ennis |
| CF | Charlie McNeil |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Anthony Elanga
- Position: LW
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Swedish
The lightning quick Elanga was signed from Malmo in 2014 and has developed quickly through the ranks at Old Trafford. Capable of playing from both wings, Elanga is a right footed forward who has great technique and strikes the ball cleanly without much backlift. He has no problem running at defenders and produces some sublime pieces of skill. He managed to break into the Man Utd team towards the end of the season and it is no surprise that he overtook Anthony Martial in the pecking order - as an almost identical player on significantly lower wages his emergence paves the way for Martial to leave. A Swedish U21 player, Elanga will become a full international soon adding pace to a desperately slow Swedish team. An impressive start in pre-season shows he is here to stay.
Amad Diallo
- Position: RW
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Ivorian
Having paid a reported £37m for Diallo from Atalanta in January, Diallo shoots to the top of the ‘one to watch’ list for the upcoming season - although Solksjaer has hinted at a loan spell being in his near future. In three PL2 appearances Diallo scored four goals and contributed three assists before then breaking into the Man Utd first team and providing an assist on debut. Blessed with an explosive burst of pace, Diallo floats around the pitch picking up pockets of space and using his pace to drive into more dangerous areas. For a forward thinking player, his pressing and love of a tackle are remarkable. Sorry to say it but Man Utd got themselves a real one here - whether he is challenging for a first team role this season or heading out on loan, Diallo is sure to become a nuisance for many years.
Shola Shoretire
- Position: AM
- Age: 17
- Nationality: English
I went back and forward on this one. Hannibal Mejbri is a big name in English youth football at the moment and the extremely talented Tunisian is older making him seemingly a more viable prospect for the near future. However, in the end I couldn’t overlook Shola Shoretire, the former Newcastle and Man City midfielder who I think is the best seventeen year old in England. Playing from either the left wing or just behind the striker, Shoretire has been totally dominant in U23 football scoring ten times in twenty one appearances while just sixteen years old. He made his breakthrough with a few minutes against Newcastle and Wolves in the Premier League and is almost certain to earn more minutes this season, especially as he has impressed in preseason outings. It’s hard to get away from comparison’s to Man City’s prodigy Phil Foden and I certainly won’t back away from it either - they are similarly talented, pacey and technically gifted. If managed properly Shoretire can be one of the best players in the league.
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Admit it: it’s the name.
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