The Premier League often overlooks the lower tiers of English football – the Championship and beyond – as a viable recruitment pool, often favouring cheaper, better-proven talents from foreign top flights instead.But England’sÂlesser leagues still have a lot to offer in terms of future Premier League stars,ÂshouldÂyou know where to look, and just to prove it, here’s a list of FIVE Football League prodigies that have reportedly caught Liverpool’s transfer attention over the last 18 months.The Reds have plucked the likes of Jonjo Shelvey from the Football League before – could one of these hotshots soon follow his path to Anfield?
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DELE ALLI
Liverpool fans will know Dele Alli well, having been relentlessly linked with an Anfield switch since his first team debut for Mk Dons back in 2012. Recent reports claim the Reds are set to pounce in January:
So who is this League One show-stopper? Well, he’s already earned some interesting comparisons, such asÂGeorge Best, courtesy of Dons chairman Pete Winkleman, whilst BBC Sport have likened Alli to his boyhood hero – Steven Gerrard.
He certainly shares the swashbuckling midfield style of the Liverpool captain’s younger years, netting 13 times in 49 League One appearances for The Franchise .
That includes seven goals in 14 appearances this season, not to mention this beautiful assist back in September:
The 18-year-old’s creativity going forward particularly stands out but he’s also got the physicality to handle the Premier League, boasting broad shoulders, a big bum and a lofty 6 foot 2 frame. Here’s a clip of Alli in action:
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He and Southend’s Ted Smith are currently the only England U19s representatives outside of the top two tiers, which tells its own story of how highly the powerful midfielder is rated within the Three Lions set-up.
As previously stated, Liverpool have been tracking the teenager for some time, but some news sources, namely The Express, have mooted a rather steep £9million fee.
PATRICK ROBERTS
It seems virtually every major Premier League club wants to get their hands on Fulham youngster Patrick Roberts, including Liverpool:
Due to his age, just 17, Roberts hasn’t seen too much game time this season, amassing the solitary assist from two starts and nine substitute outings – amounting to just over 300 minutes of Championship football.
That may not seem like a lot to get excited about, but here’s the winger’s vitals this season based on per-90-minute metrics:
Impressive stuff, and Roberts’ potential is further underlined by 12 goals in 26 appearances for England across the junior levels, ranging from U16 to U19. Here’s a look at the teenage attacker in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/liCPHbvALbs?rel=0
The tabloids claim, however, that Roberts is valued at a ridiculous £15million.
DEMARAI GRAY
Dubbed ‘the new Raheem Sterling’ by many, Liverpool already have a first refusal clause weaved into the contract of Birmingham City’s Demarai Gray, as part of the loan deal that saw Jordan Ibe go on loan to St. Andrews’ in the summer.
The 5 foot 10 winger’s had limited first team exposure thus far, making just 19 appearances in the Championship since his debut in October 2013. He’d already done enough by April this year however to make it onto FourFourTwo’s “Top Ten Football League Stars of Tomorrow”.
Like Sterling, he’s speedy, versatile and an exceptional dribbler. In fact, he’s been Birmingham’s most proficient in that regard this season by quite some distance:
Here’s a clip of the 18 year-old in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/jO3X6Xjp_G8?rel=0
There’s been an obvious progression to his performances this season, as detailed below:
Which, according to the Metro, has convinced the Reds to trigger their first option in January, at the value of around £2million:
WILL HUGHES
Will Hughes is another name that’s been linked with the Reds for quite some time, dating back to the January 2013 transfer window.
Indeed, the Derby County youngster is one of English football’s hottest prospects, playing a vital role in the Rams reaching last year’s Championship play-off final and this term’s push for automatic promotion.
Along the way, the 19-year-old central midfielder’s amassed six goals and eight assists in 61 Championship outings – including this goal against Blackburn in September:
Soon followed by this effort against Fulham:
Hughes’ technical ability and ball retention particularly stands out, allegedly even enticing scouts from Barcelona to Pride Park, as shown in the stats below:
That explains Brendan Rodgers’ undying interest in the wiry playmaker, and according to Mirror Football, Liverpool agreed a first option on Hughes some time ago.
Other sources, however, claim he’s valued as highly as £15million by the Rams.
Max Clayton
Crewe Alexandra have one of the best value-for-money academies in the Football League and the latest hotshot to emerge from their youth set-up is 20 year-old Max Clayton – strongly linked with a Premier League move back in summer 2013:
The young forward netted 16 times in 92 appearances during his time at Gresty Road, which, via a short spell as a free agent, triggered a move to Bolton Wanderers back in September:
And his quick adaption to the Championship could convince the Reds to revive their interest, bagging one goal and one assist in just 161 minutes of second tier action – including this cheeky nutmeg against Wigan Athletic’s Scott Carson:
//www.youtube.com/embed/gcSv52DG758?rel=0
This free-kick for the U21 squad wasn’t too bad either:
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The England junior, who has 31 appearances for the Three Lions across the youth levels, is still fine tuning his output but his contribution to open play remains impressive, as shown in the stats below based on per-90-minute metrics:
Liverpool will undoubtedly monitor his progress in the Championship but after moving to the Reebok, they’ll have to pay considerably more for Clayton than expected 18 months ago.
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