Examining how Liverpool's youngsters will fare under Arne Slot

Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s academy produced many great talents, but how will they fare under Arne Slot? During his time at Feyenoord, Slot helped many players have careers in the first team.

Liverpool's Slot at Feyenoord

Slot inherited a number of first-team players who were already in the first-team, including defender Lutsharel Geertruida and goalkeeper Justin Bijlow.

He also helped academy players to make their first steps into the first-team, including defender Quilindschy Hartman and midfielder Quinten Timber.

All of these players played a crucial role in Feyenoord’s 2022/23 title-winning season and they all remain at Feyenoord to this day. It is worth caveating this with the difference in playing standard and team-assembling culture between the Dutch Eredivisie and the Premier League.

The standard of the Premier League allows less time to ‘bleed’ players into the first-team, and the plethora of wealth available to teams, means that they are not as reliant on young players. Also Dutch football has long-since established traditions of allowing academies to shape first-teams.

All of this means that Slot’s time in the Netherlands is not a perfect indicator of his time at Liverpool.

However, it bodes well for Liverpool’s youngsters that Slot was willing to build his team around Feyenoord’s academy products. It, too, is nascent that Slot was readily giving youngsters minutes in pre-season and allowed Conor Bradley some minutes in Liverpool’s Premier League win over Ipswich Town.

Flying The Nest

Something else to take into account is that there are other forces within the Liverpool setup that affect the squad list, namely Michael Edwards and more pertinently Richard Hughes. It is worth bearing that in mind when you think about Liverpool’s outgoings this summer. Pre-season star Fabio Carvalho joined Brentford from Liverpool for around £20m.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool have allegedly agreed a fee with RB Salzburg for Bobby Clark who featured six times in the Premier League last season. Attacking midfielder Mateusz Musialowski, who featured briefly for the Reds in the Europa League, joined Omonia Nicosia on a free transfer.

After a series of loan spells, previously highly-rated centre-back Billy Koumentio has now joined Dundee on a permanent basis. It is worth noting that some of these players have reached an age where they normally depart, Musialowski and Koumentio, in order to enhance their careers.

It is also necessary for Liverpool to make money off players such as Carvalho and Clark where the opportunity presents itself.

Defenders Luke Chambers and Calvin Ramsay, and forward Lewis Koumas, have been loaned out to Championship clubs. Koumas signed a new Liverpool contract, so the Liverpool hierarchy think there is at least a possibility of him having a future at the club.

The success of Liverpool’s youngsters last season has created a lot of competition on the fringes of the squad.

Future incomings too could cause a problem, particularly if rumours around Liverpool’s pursuit of Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili come to fruition.

If Mamardashvili signs, I think that could ‘de facto’ end Caiomhin Kelleher’s Liverpool career, as it would diminish hopes of him succeeding Alisson Becker as Liverpool’s number one goalkeeper.

There are still plenty of youngsters within the squad, who will request gametime in the coming season, Bradley, Jarell Quansah, James McConnell and Jayden Danns among others.

The litmus test will be in the cups, with the Carabao Cup third round first on Slot’s cup agenda. With Arne Slot playing a not too dissimilar style of football to Jurgen Klopp, I would not expect too many stylistic changes with in the academy.

With Klopp's legacy of youth development intact, it is set to keep thriving as long as Arne gives them game time.