Contract-related issues may heap misery on the red half of Merseyside next summer, but there’s more than a fighting chance that, should that happen, it will be in the wake of trophy-clinching success.
Liverpool have got off to a flyer under Arne Slot this season, five points clear at the top of the Premier League and first in the Champions League group phase too. There’s so much excitement crackling around Anfield right now, with fans giddy at the thought of crowning a new era with the highest of triumphs.
Should any or all of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk truly be playing out their final campaign at Liverpool, it will be a big blow without a doubt. But, FSG, though they certainly have their shortcomings, have placed the Reds in a providential position.
Everything points toward a cemented place at the forefront of domestic and European football over the coming years, and with youngsters such as Ben Doak breaking through, such pointers might be on the money.
Ben Doak's prosperous future
Currently plying his football out on loan with Middlesbrough in the Championship, Doak is honing his craft away from Slot’s squad, but it looks like the 18-year-old made the right call, for he’s starring under Michael Carrick and now impressing for the Scotland Men’s team too.
Having notched assists in both of his recent Championship matches – two in the latter – after scoring his first professional goal earlier in the campaign, Doak is indeed riding the crest of a wave at the moment, with former Scotland manager Craig Levein even claiming: “this kid could be a world-class player.”
Effusive words. But not without substance. The short-framed Doak’s pace and power, his swivelling low centre of gravity, allow him to bypass stern opposition down the right flank with ease.
He’s burgeoning alright. But Doak isn’t the only Liverpool talent making headway out on loan this season. Of course, Giorgi Mamardashvili is back with Valencia for the campaign after signing for Slot’s side in a deal worth £29m in August, while Stefan Bajcetic is gaining invaluable experience under Pep Lijnders at RB Salzburg in Austria. Keep an eye on that one, for sure.
But what about Lewis Koumas? Lesser known, without a doubt, but still blessed with the natural properties and goalscoring eye to become a Premier League star in the future.
Lewis Koumas could rival Doak at Liverpool
Koumas only has one senior appearance for Liverpool, but then of course he scored the opening goal in that one, helping Jurgen Klopp’s youthful side through to the quarter-finals against Manchester United.
Though other Reds striplings have seen greater acclaim for their emphatic successes last season, Koumas proved from the offing that he has the striking sense to slot (ahem) right into Liverpool life.
But Liverpool’s new Dutch head coach made a point of trimming his first team of blubber this summer, and up-and-coming stars such as Koumas were always going to be best served to sharpen those tools at a ground that can offer regular match action.
A short-term move away was always going to benefit the dynamic young forward, and though Stoke City have struggled in the second tier for many interminable years since being relegated from the Premier League, this seemed a good fit for Koumas to take steady steps into the big time.
It’s working out well. The 19-year-old has started ten Championship matches and posted three goals and two assists in all competitions, with Potters boss Steven Schumacher saying that “young players are doing brilliant for us” this term.
Matches (starts)
10 (8)
14 (10)
Goals
1
2
Assists
3
1
Shots (on target)*
1.5 (0.8)
1.4 (0.4)
Pass completion
82%
74%
Key passes*
2.2
0.7
Ball recoveries*
2.3
1.8
Dribbles*
2.3
0.9
Total duels won*
4.6
2.9
While Doak’s underlying data shows him to be a more refined and complete member of the Championship than his Liverpool teammate, Koumas is demonstrating a superior goalscoring edge, having bagged two goals to Doak’s one, while also proving himself to be a veritable killer in front of goal for Liverpool’s development side.
Indeed, the Welsh talent scored 28 goals across 51 appearances for the Reds youth sides. Speaking of nationality, like Doak, Koumas has recently been blooded for his nation, making two appearances for Wales in the Nations League this autumn.
Let’s see how these respective talents do over the coming months. But while Doak had garnered a reputation for producing high-level moments, it’s easy to forget about Koumas.
The Wales international, who has been described as a “diamond” by Football Insider’s Wayne Versey, actually ranks among the top 15% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship this term for carries into the attacking penalty area (1.80) per 90, as per FBref, suggesting that, while less of a ball-carrying winger than Doak, he still has the penetrative presence to mirror his Scottish peer.
Liverpool are making significant gains under Slot’s wing, and are hoping for big things come the end of the the 2024/25 season. But with such prodigious youngsters making headway of their own elsewhere, it’s surely shaping up to be an exciting era ahead for the Anfield side.
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