While things have been quiet so far in the transfer market for Liverpool under the new regime, two important signings are expected to be quietly taken care of .
As part of a long-standing strategy, the Reds are continuing to strengthen their youth ranks. Liverpool was forced to move swiftly to beat Manchester United to the signing of Celta Vigo starlet Stefan Bajcetic in 2020, just before the Brexit rules changed and the arrivals of young talents from around Europe became considerably more difficult. Since then, the focus has been on snapping up the very best of the British age groups.
The list is lengthy: Kaide Gordon , James McConnell, Calum Scanlon, Ben Doak, Bobby Clark , and Trent Kone Doherty - to name just five - have all arrived as some of the most exciting talents in the country. This summer, Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea and Alvin Ayman from Wolves are expected to join the list; last summer, it was Trey Nyoni (Leicester City) and Amaro Nallo (West Ham United).
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It was telling that just a few months after arriving at Anfield as a 16-year-old, Nyoni was on the bench for the Carabao Cup final. Chelsea is thought to be fuming at the loss of Ngumoha, but it is easy to explain how the deal has come about. At Liverpool, there is a clear pathway to the first team.
Ngumoha, despite suggestions to the contrary, has not been signed on a deal that exceeds the strict existing Liverpool wage structure for young talents. Described as one of the best players in his age group in the country, the 15-year-old has represented England at U16 level and will sign as a scholar at Liverpool .
Liverpool has an industry-leading pathway through to the first team from the academy. Ex-Manchester City coach Aaron Briggs has arrived this summer and taken over from Vitor Matos as the bridge between the youth ranks and the senior set-up. That was a position that Pep Lijnders once held before he was promoted.
While Jurgen Klopp has moved on this summer, the chances afforded to young talents are expected to continue to flow under Arne Slot . That will be a key part of his briefing as Liverpool looks to carry on bringing through young talents regularly and the amount of evidence of there being a pathway to first-team minutes increases.
That has been noted at other clubs around the Premier League and beyond, too. While Chelsea is losing Ngumoha, it is no coincidence that it is simultaneously raiding the South American market for expensive teenagers. Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez (both 17) are coming in for a combined sum of $59m (£45m/€54m) and it is little wonder that those already at Chelsea's academy are losing faith.
There are long-standing concerns about a pathway to senior minutes at Stamford Bridge and while there are exceptions ( Levi Colwill , for instance), Chelsea has lost a huge amount of talent because of its strange practices. Onlookers from around the rest of the clubs in England are baffled by the Blues' approach to youth soccer.
It is understood that there is a sense of disbelief at the money being thrown at signings when elite talents are criminally overlooked. Ngumoha is simply the latest young player, along with his family and advisors, to take the viewpoint that a chance is much likelier to come in Kirkby than Cobham.
While there has been no movement on the transfer front for the senior team yet this summer, Liverpool has a raft of exciting young players for Slot to call upon, many of whom have already impressed the Dutchman since his arrival.
Though some might not like that plan, it is clearly much more cost-effective to bring through another Jarell Quansah or Harvey Elliott than it is to spend for the sake of it. The emergence of the former last season surely goes a long way to explaining why Liverpool was not desperate to spend $68m (£52m/€62m) on Leny Yoro , who has moved to Manchester United instead.
Despite the exploratory talks with Ligue 2 side Bordeaux not leading anywhere, FSG is seeking to add another soccer team to its portfolio. It is possible that could be a way of getting young talent to Liverpool from across the continent, even though a direct route - like with Bajcetic - is no longer possible.
The reality is, though, that the Reds' moves for the best England, Scottish and Irish players are paying off. The more of them happen, the more likely it is that the pattern continues into the future in a positive cycle. Ngumoha and Ayman are the next ones, but they won't be the last.
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