On Monday, Liverpool confirmed they would be loaning forward Jayden Danns to Championship side Sunderland for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season.
In addition, the club inked him to a lengthy deal before his short-term departure, finally making transfer news of decent significance on the day of the deadline.
The homegrown product has made occasional appearances for the Liverpool senior group this season, including when he became their youngest ever starter in the Champions League against PSV, but has mostly been spending time with the club’s youth team.
Supporters should see this move as an exciting challenge for Danns, rather than a demotion from the first team, as it offers possible benefits for Liverpool, Sunderland, and Danns himself.
The chance to contribute in a promotion race
Not much has been reported on the fee agreed upon for the 19 year-old's services, but any sort of financial return feels much less significant compared to Danns being given steady playing time for a club performing at a respectable level.
Sunderland, former home to Liverpool alums like Jordan Henderson and Simon Mignolet, currently sits in fourth place in the Championship, just three points behind Burnley with a game in hand, as they battle for promotion.
If they finish in the top two or secure a spot in the play-offs, it could mark their return to the Premier League for the first time since the 2016-2017 season.
Wilson Isidor, the top contributor for the Black Cats with nine goals in 26 games, hasn’t exactly blown anyone away with his scoring record, and Danns has a great prospect of proving that he’s on the brink of Premier League readiness if he can consistently bag goals up front for Sunderland.
The move could also be greatly advantageous for Danns as he will have the opportunity to learn from Régis Le Bris, a manager who has been widely recognized for his ability to work effectively with young players after leading French club Wasquehal to a Championnat National U19 victory in 2007 before doing the same in the U17 division with FC Lorient in 2015.
Given the intensity of a promotion race, Danns has a real shot of gaining exposure to meaningful football, and this experience can be a stepping stone for taking his Liverpool career to the next level.
Preparing to build on his achievements in Red
Despite limited appearances in the Premier League and Champions League, Danns has shown strong instincts in front of goal when given the chance in cup games.
He recently finished off a well-worked team move he spurred against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup and scored a brace during the same competition last campaign to join fellow teenage teammate Lewis Koumas as the goal-scorers in a 3-0 win over Southampton.
Danns also made an appearance in Liverpool’s 2023-2024 Carabao Cup final triumph, joining a wealth of other Liverpool youngsters to knock off Chelsea and win his first trophy with the club.
Slot himself has praised Danns’ attitude, sharing that “What I like most about him – and with most of the Academy players – is the mentality they have. So, that’s a big compliment for him and definitely also a big compliment to our youth academy because if you are a youngster and you come to the first team sometimes you are used in a way that you might not expect [in training].”
Liverpool have made clear that loaning Danns is an investment in their youth standouts with this move, as they have also dispelled any notions of selling Ben Doak while he is on loan and performing very well at Middlesbrough.
Debates over the need for a true number nine within the first team have been ongoing for some time, and with this loan move, the club is giving Danns the chance to take a step closer to his dream of a local lad becoming the Reds' premier striker.