Liverpool hit gold on "special" academy ace playing like a £66m superstar
da spicy bet： Liverpool might have hit a bump in the road of late, but this is going to go down as an extraordinary season for Arne Slot and his squad.
da doce： It’s almost miraculous that the Anfield side are cruising toward the Premier League title, 11 points clear with seven games to go, having opted against strengthening in the transfer market with anything more than fringe forward Federico Chiesa.
The strong and dynamic squad that Jurgen Klopp sculpted over so many years serves as the main foundational reason behind the success, but the rise and rise of Kirkby’s academy ranks has played a significant part too.
Liverpool's biggest academy talents
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones are among Liverpool’s most senior players, and both have been forged in the club’s very own furnaces, now poised to claim their second top-flight titles.
However, ‘Klopp’s Kids’ emerged like a tidal wave last season, so much rich up-and-coming quality steering injury-wrecked Liverpool over the Carabao Cup finish line and back into the Champions League through a third-place Premier League finish.
Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha are the latest prodigies to have been noticed by Slot, welcomed into the fold here and there, but they will need quite the rise to reach the same levels as the likes of Trent and Jones.
It’s one thing being aboard the hype train when coming up, still ensconsced in the safety quilt of development football, but it’s another when bursting onto the senior stage and thriving.
Alexander-Arnold achieved both, and he’s been followed by Conor Bradley.
Liverpool have hit gold on their "special" talent
While he’s only made 51 senior appearances for Liverpool, 21-year-old Bradley might just be one of the most exciting first-team talents in the business, having scored one goal and assisted ten more.
Injuries have been the Northern Irishman’s major sticking point but there’s little question he’s an “absolutely phenomenal” player, as has been noted by Alexander-Arnold after his positional peer’s emergence one year ago.
His slick and complete full-back style have even seen Bradley earn comparisons to Barcelona’s Jules Kounde,with FBref noting that the Frenchman is among the most similar players to the youngster in Europe’s top five leagues.
That is real recognition considering that the former Sevilla star is deemed to be “one of the best defenders in the world” by ex-Barca boss Xavi Hernandez and has been touted at a lofty £66m recently following probes from Manchester United.
While Bradley has a long way to go, there’s no doubting he’s a “really special talent,” so says his international boss Michael O’Neill, who has the framework in place to grow into a standout wide defender plying their trade at the height of the European game.
Simply refer to his metrics in the English top flight last year to get a gauge of how good he is. So balanced and athletic, scarcely feeling the weight of an emergence onto the major stage.
Conor Bradley – Premier League Stats (23/24)
Stat
Per 90
Percentile
Goals
0.12
Top 14%
Assists
0.36
Top 3%
Shot-creating actions
3.23
Top 10%
Touches
79.00
Top 15%
Passes attempted
63.35
Top 21%
Progressive passes
3.47
Top 51%
Progressive carries
4.18
Top 2%
Successful take-ons
1.55
Top 4%
Ball recoveries
5.98
Top 12%
Tackles won
2.99
Top 1%
Stats via FBref
What a player. What potential. The exciting part is that Bradley is still only in the fledgling phase of his promising career and has managed to impress on a large number of occasions.
Already playing like one of the game’s best in La Blaugrana’s Kounde, Liverpool are sure to be alright, should Alexander-Arnold leave for Real Madrid, as is expected.
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