TA: Liverpool realized that this generation of youth players has reached its end

On January 16 local time, The Athletic reported that Liverpool is fully advancing its academy upgrade and young player recruitment plans, aiming to reduce risk and ensure sustained competitiveness between the academy and the first team through global talent scouting and thorough research.

Below is TA’s analysis.

Before Christmas, Michael Edwards, CEO of Football at Fenway Sports Group (FSG), visited Paris Saint-Germain’s youth academy with a Liverpool delegation. Julian Ward, FSG’s Technical Director, also accompanied the trip. The purpose was to seek inspiration and insights for Liverpool’s ambitious plan to enhance its own academy complex, which opened in 2024.

According to The Athletic’s September 2025 report, Liverpool plans to invest approximately £20 million in renovating its academy. The renovation includes constructing a dome to provide the club with its first full-size indoor pitch, relocating the main grass pitch, building a new stand seating around 500 spectators, and upgrading gym facilities, medical services, sports science centers, changing rooms, and coaching offices.

Following a period of public consultation, Liverpool has submitted its planning application to local authorities and hopes to receive approval by spring. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, with completion targeted for 2028.

The project is led by Kieron Bacon, Liverpool’s Vice President of Infrastructure and Asset Management. As chair of the steering group, Bacon has organized visits to other European academies to establish best practices.

In addition to PSG, club staff have recently inspected the academies of Monaco, Red Bull Salzburg, Tottenham Hotspur, Bournemouth, and Crystal Palace—all of which have heavily invested in their youth development programs.

Besides Edwards, Ward, and Bacon, Pedro Marques (FSG Director of Football Development), Alex Inglethorpe (Liverpool Academy Director), Joel Waldron (Head of Academy Operations), and Andrew Rice (Head of Facilities) have all participated in this information-gathering effort.

The club hopes this will be the most significant overhaul of its academy since its opening in 1998, enabling it to produce more young players capable of progressing to the first team.

Since 2020, Liverpool has generated over £200 million from selling academy graduates. Last summer alone, transfers involving Trent Alexander-Arnold (to Real Madrid), Caoimhín Kelleher (to Brentford), Nat Phillips (to West Bromwich Albion), Jarell Quansah (to Bayer Leverkusen), Tyler Morton (to Lyon), and Ben Doak (to Bournemouth) brought in roughly £100 million, including performance-related add-ons. FSG’s self-sustaining business model ensures all proceeds are reinvested into the club.

However, early in the season, the club internally recognized that this current crop of promising academy players had reached their ceiling and were unlikely to break through further—a view reinforced over the past six months.

This season, among Liverpool academy graduates, only Curtis Jones and Conor Bradley have logged more than one hour of Premier League playing time. Of other academy prospects, only Ngumoha and Nyoni have featured in the Premier League.

Several academy players appeared in the Carabao Cup, but after being eliminated by Crystal Palace, manager Arne Slot fielded a stronger starting lineup against Barnsley (a League One side) in the FA Cup third round.

Slot has faced criticism for not showing enough trust in academy players this season. While it is indeed harder to give opportunities to youngsters during difficult periods, the bigger issue is the limited number of young players genuinely capable of competing for first-team spots. Players like Stefan Bajcetic and James McConnell had chances but missed out due to injuries.

Since Alexander-Arnold’s departure, Curtis Jones has become the face of Liverpool’s academy. Having joined the academy at age nine, the now 24-year-old has made over 200 appearances. Ideally, young players should develop through the academy system into first-team regulars and remain with the club long-term.

Meanwhile, Liverpool is also increasing investment to strengthen its academy by recruiting top young talents globally.

Seventeen-year-old winger Ngumoha joined from Chelsea in 2024, and 18-year-old midfielder Nyoni arrived from Leicester City a year earlier—both signings have proven astute. Additionally, the club holds high hopes for 17-year-old striker Will Wright, who joined last summer for £200,000 from Salford City and is currently recovering from a knee injury. just returning to fitness.

Matt Newberry, formerly Head of Academy Recruitment and Director of Loan & Pathway Strategy, was promoted 14 months ago to Global Talent Director. His work led the club to invest approximately £3.5 million this month in two highly regarded young center-backs—Talla Ndiaye and Ndukwe—who caught scouts’ attention at the U17 World Cup in Qatar last November.

Talla Ndiaye turned 18 last week and joined Liverpool for £1 million. As an academy player, he has begun training with the U21 squad at Kirkby and attended Monday’s FA Cup match against Barnsley at Anfield.

Ndukwe’s transfer fee from Austria Wien could rise to £2.5 million with add-ons. The 1.96-meter-tall defender was a key member of Austria’s U17 national team, which reached the U17 World Cup final before losing to Portugal. He was a regular for Austria Wien’s reserve team in the 2024–25 season and has also been named on the senior bench this campaign. Since he won’t turn 18 until March, he is expected to arrive at Kirkby in July for preseason.

Liverpool has also signed 19-year-old Adekoya from Burnley. It’s no surprise to see such significant reinforcement at center-back.

At the first-team level, changes in the center-back position may be forthcoming. Ibrahima Konaté’s contract expires this summer, while Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have only 18 months remaining. Leoni currently recovering from an ACL tear.

Among Slot’s other options, Lutz has moved ahead of Nallo in the pecking order this season, featuring as a substitute in four Premier League matches, though neither was selected for this week’s FA Cup game. Nallo is expected to be loaned out this month.

Rhys Williams, who shone alongside Nat Phillips toward the end of Klopp’s tenure, is close to leaving Liverpool. The 24-year-old is likely to go out on loan within the next two weeks and will certainly depart permanently when his contract expires this summer.

Liverpool’s track record in signing young center-backs has been mixed. In 2018, the club signed Koumetio from France with high expectations, but he made only two appearances for Liverpool before moving to Dundee.

By contrast, Van den Berg, despite making just four first-team appearances for Liverpool, gained valuable experience through multiple successful loans and ultimately delivered significant financial returns—signed from a Dutch second-tier club for £4.4 million in 2019 and sold to Brentford five years later for £25 million.

As for Talla Ndiaye and Ndukwe, Liverpool has mapped out clear pathways for their progression. Although signing young center-backs carries inherent risks, the club believes thorough upfront research has minimized those risks and enabled them to outcompete rivals across Europe.