‘Klopp’s Kids’: An overview of Liverpool’s rising academy and future stars

The 2023/24 season has so far been a tumultuous time for Liverpool. With Klopp’s shock announcement in January and each game played a decider of their fate in the title race, coupled with a Carabao Cup win and unprecedented injuries of vital players, the fans have certainly had a lot to keep up with. Amidst the chaos however, we have seen Liverpool’s youth rise to the occasion. This season, Klopp has turned to the academy as the solution to the plethora of first team injuries and so far, it has been working exceptionally.

The academy has already done a brilliant job at producing first team stars such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones and it is not unusual for Klopp to put his trust in a youngster; the likes of Harvey Elliott, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak and Rhys Williams have all been given chances to showcase their talents on the pitch. And whilst not everyone succeeds in becoming a regular starter and/or reoccurring substitute for the club, they are given the opportunity to further their careers and flourish. 

Recently however, there has been more of an emphasis on academy talents.

The upcoming prospects

Conor Bradley has stepped in for Trent whilst he has been injured and has been the talk of the town. The 20-year-old right-back has certainly succeeded in making a good impression on the pitch.

Bradley managed to create two goals against Norwich City in the fifth round of the FA Cup and snagged the Player of the Match award. He was also able to toy with Chelsea, scoring and assisting against the Blues, as the fans sang his name throughout the stadium. Furthermore, his performance against Manchester City was remarkable, winning the most duels (6/9) and the most tackles (4/4) in the first half of the fixture. Afterwards, some fans took to X to share their thoughts. Some stated that Klopp should be putting Trent in a creative midfield role and giving Bradley the permanent right-back position. 

Jarell Quansah has also been an exceptional addition to Liverpool’s backline whilst Joel Matip is out. He had an excellent display against Fulham, where he managed to keep up with Virgil Van Dijk. He adapted smoothly to the intensity of the match and took on players such as Raul Jimenez. It was Quansah who was able to head the ball over the left touchline in the dying minutes of the game, calm and collected. 

Lewis Koumas, Jayden Danns, and James McConnell are another three players who seem to have bright careers ahead of them.

Koumas was able to score against Southampton in the FA cup tie (his debut) and was able to really grow into the game. Similarly, Danns made his first appearance in the 4-1 win against Luton. He was narrowly denied a header against Chelsea in FA Cup final, scored two goals against Southampton and linked comfortably with his peers, thus was a threat in and around the box. McConnell, who originally played as more of an attacking midfielder, has now adapted to his newer role of deep lying play in the No.6 position. He registered an assist for Curtis Jones’ opening goal against Norwich City in the FA cup tie.

Other young players such as Bobby Clark, Kaide Gordon and Mateusz Musialowski are also up and coming talents who we are yet to see more of. 

The people and elements that make up the academy

Former Liverpool star and current academy advisor, Steve McManaman, told TNT Sports that the new training ground, the AXA Training Complex, was a major reason as to why Klopp has been able to turn to the youth so easily this season. He specified: “It helps that the under-18s train on that pitch, and then they move to the under-21s’ pitch and move to this building where the first-team are. This is the hallowed place where everyone wants to get to. And the fact that if Jurgen and his staff have injury problems one morning, they can literally call a player up from the under-21s, so I think that has certainly helped.”

Previously, the youngsters would train separately. With the the new training ground, the switch from youth to senior football is easier and there has been an improvement in assimilation and communication between coaches.

Of course, whilst Klopp deserves most credit for the inclusion of these players in the first team, all of this comes down to the head of the academy himself: Alex Inglethorpe.

In an interview with The Athletic, prior to this season, Inglethorpe outlined the four elements that define the academy. He stated that the first element is to supply the team with players capable of playing Champions League Football. An example of that would be Stefan Bajcetic and his vitality in UCL matches last season. He then stated that the second element is to try and create value, because all the money from selling players goes back into supporting the first team. The last two elements he said were to help players in the development of their football careers and support those who do not make it and must leave the academy. 

The last element is one that Inglethorpe values most. In 2020 he started the club’s alumni project which offers players who must move on from Liverpool with psychological support and encouragement in the next stages of their life, coaching and scouting opportunities, or financial advice in general. 

Inglethorpe stated that: “You want to see them succeed and thrive in life, and you want the academy to have played a part in helping them…. Whether it’s to do a course, get some advice or just to say hello, I love it when they come back. We’re very lucky that these boys still see us as being relevant to their lives. I’m really proud of our alumni project and I’m sure it’s going to grow and grow. The intention is that, eventually, one of our alumni runs it.” 

A bright future for Liverpool

The match against Manchester City was a real revelation to just how well the academy have done, as well as Klopp’s ability as a manager to utilise the squad to their maximum. He has accomplished the difficult task of choosing the correct academy players who can adapt as quickly as possible under pressure.

Liverpool were able to go toe to toe with City, despite having so many key players missing. Elliot was comfortably running the midfield, Quansah securely kept Erling Haaland at bay, whilst Bradley was able to cleverly pick out positions, and play all over the right flank. None of them seemed out of place whilst playing the biggest match of the season so far, against a fully stacked City squad. In fact, Quansah was one of the only players who had the guts to shoot from afar. 

Klopp may be on his way out, and the senior players may only have a few years left in them at their very best, but it seems that this is not a problem for Liverpool.

Keyrol Figueroa, who has scored 90 goals in a season for Liverpool’s U13s and U14s, is a name to look out for. Liverpool are keen to sign a long-term deal with him and ensure his spot in the first team when he is ready. Therefore, it seems that Liverpool are continuing to raise exciting new prospects to guarantee the club’s future success, especially with Klopp’s departure.