Liverpool’s quiet transfer market has been noted by just about everyone. It was expected following their Champions League Final victory over Tottenham Hotspur that they would suddenly spend hundreds of millions of pounds to acquire new players.
That has not been the case nor should it have been. Liverpool’s executives and manager Jurgen Klopp have taken a slower approach and not dived headfirst into spending large sums of money.
Liverpool have already signed 17-year-old 6ft 5in centre-back Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle for £1.3 million. They are on the verge of adding 16-year-old winger Harvey Elliott who will most likely play with the club’s under-23 team despite making his Premier League debut with Fulham last term.
The Anfield club’s approach to transfers this season and a desire to add youth shows they are prepared to promote talent from within as well. Trent Alexader-Arnold was the most recent player to be promoted from the academy and has excelled at the club.
Striker Rhian Brewster is expected to get a chance this season after returning last spring from a knee injury that kept him out for around a year. Klopp is high on Brewster and believes he can play an important role with Daniel Sturridge now gone.
But who else could be promoted from within? Of course, Harry Wilson starred at Derby County last season. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have a role at Liverpool. Or does he?
Plenty of Reds supporters want to see Wilson given a chance at Anfield as he could be an alternative to Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Left-back is an area that Liverpool are now the weakest in. Andrew Robertson may be the team’s starting full-back but with Alberto Moreno’s departure this summer, there is a gap on the bench.
James Milner and Joe Gomez cannot be expected to cover for Robertson in case of a long-term injury. But Klopp does have a youth option to bring into the team as Robertson’s backup.
Colombian Anderson Arroyo, who turns 20-years old in September, spent last season on loan to Belgian club Gent. Although Arroyo didn’t make an appearance for Gent, he got vital experience training with the first team.
Due to Arroyo being from Colombia, the club had difficulty landing a work visa for the South American much like Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi. The forward also spent part of the season at Gent on loan as well. Arroyo will most likely be forced to go out on loan once more as he doesn’t meet work visa requirements.
Arroyo is an exciting young prospect that Klopp is looking at closely. He could be the next young player to break into the first-team, but it won’t be this term. He is one for the future, however.
If Arroyo’s meteoric rise up the football ranks in Colombia are anything to go by, he could be backing up Robertson on the first day of the Premier League season in over 12 months’ time.