After amassing a collection of outstanding performances in the Liverpool first team this season, it’s been reported that the club have a contract extension in the works for Conor Bradley, the 21-year old right back from Northern Ireland whose deal expires in 2027.
Bradley has certainly proven himself as an adept player on both sides of the ball throughout his still young career, providing boss Arne Slot with even more depth to an already stacked side.
“I think it’s going to be a bright future for him because he’s a very good player and very good players [are] what we need here at Liverpool,” Slot said of Bradley a few months ago. It seems that the club’s board feels similarly.
Prioritizing his long-term future
It’s telling that the club has made it a priority to sort out Bradley’s future in the midst of other crucial contract negotiations with Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold–especially as Bradley could serve as Trent’s replacement if he does indeed leave Liverpool for Real Madrid as many are speculating.
It’s also encouraging to see the club taking a proactive strategy in comparison to its oft puzzling approach to contracts, highlighted by the fact that several key deals are set to expire in the coming years.
Beyond the high-profile negotiations involving the aforementioned trio who are all set to leave in the summer, Liverpool have a total of 12 first-team players whose contracts run out in 2026 or 2027; it will be quite interesting to see who is left from this current squad by then.
Liverpool’s urgency to retain Bradley beyond 2027 as soon as possible also isn’t all that surprising considering his incredible progression in talent.
He's a fast learner
Consider that Bradley was being loaned out to League One side Bolton during the 2022-2023 season– just a short time later, he’s gone on to make crucial appearances for the Reds, perhaps most notably when he pocketed Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé during a Champions League clash with Los Blancos at Anfield.
Another positive of extending Bradley’s contract is to keep yet another Academy player retained at the club, a practice that has long held significance for Liverpool, evident with the likes of players such as Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler.
Bradley could very well be a part of the next generation of Liverpool greats as other promising talents such as Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni and Jayden Danns also appear to be a part of the club’s long term plans.
Even with the Premier League title all but wrapped up, Bradley could still prove to be a very valuable asset for the rest of the season as well.
Trent Alexander-Arnold should rightfully be Liverpool’s first-choice right-back when available; however, if Liverpool secure the league title early while remaining in Champions League contention, Bradley could capably handle starting in the remaining Premier League fixtures, allowing Arne Slot the luxury of resting key starters for European competition.
The chance for additional minutes can only help strengthen Bradley’s case for deserving an extension once he returns from a hamstring injury.
This prospect also comes on the heels of the club's interest in ensuring Jayden Danns gets more proper minutes while on loan at Sunderland, yet again reinforcing Liverpool's belief in their collection of youth players.
The board have certainly placed themselves in a difficult situation with one of the most dramatic three-headed contract negotiations I can remember, but I certainly applaud their progressive approach in trying to ensure one of the brightest talents on the team will be around for as long as possible.