- Published
One of the first things you notice in Alex Inglethorpe's office at Liverpool's AXA Training Centre is a framed image gifted by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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you → publish → Arnold
It is a picture from 2019 of the academy director and player watching a game together.
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director → watch → game
Alexander-Arnold left for a new challenge at Real Madrid last year, after 20 years on Merseyside, but his story is one of inspiration for everyone that enters Liverpool's academy.
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that → leave → academy
He joined as a six-year-old in 2004 and went on to win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup with Liverpool.
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He → join → Liverpool
The ideal for any academy, and certainly for us, is wanting young players - and hopefully they're local players - to improve the first team and in doing so, they come and win trophies," says Inglethorpe.
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Inglethorpe → want → trophies
"At Liverpool the bar is high, so to have a player capable of winning everything that you could possibly win is a dream."
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you → win → that
Inglethorpe and his team oversee the development of younger players and ensure there is alignment between the academy and the first team.
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Inglethorpe → oversee → academy
One of the phrases used is 'the first team pitch is only 300 metres away from the academy building in Kirkby, but the journey might take 10 years to get there'.
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journey → use → years
Under new boss Andoni Iraola, players like Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas and James McConnell, who have spent time at the academy, have all featured this season.
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who → spend → academy
"We were fortunate because of how the calendar worked, with players still at the World Cup and a delayed return.
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calendar → work → Cup
Andoni and his staff spent a lot of his first week here watching the academy," says Inglethorpe.
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Inglethorpe → spend → academy
"So we felt ahead, in terms of building a relationship from the outset.
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we → feel → outset
"
Adapting to a 'distorted' market
At the Kirkby academy, phones are handed in on a morning and there is a clause in contracts with a maximum engine size limit for cars that are driven into academy premises.
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that → adapt → premises
"It comes back to passing your audition.
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First impressions matter," says Inglethorpe.
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Inglethorpe → matter → ?
"Often before you've kicked a ball, the car you drive or the watch you wear can have an impact on how you're thought of - and that could be first team staff or players looking at you.
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that → kick → you
"We've believed in the idea of 'earning the right' for some time."
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We → believe → time
Last week, Manchester United signed 16-year-old winger Isaac Konde from Liverpool on a one-year scholarship followed by a five-year professional deal.
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United → sign → deal
In February, a tribunal ruled Liverpool must pay at least £2.8m to Chelsea for Ngumoha.
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Liverpool → rule → Ngumoha
The 18-year-old left Chelsea in September 2024 to join the Reds and signed his first professional contract a year later.
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old → leave → contract
At Liverpool, the belief is they have been sensible and responsible with a view to deferred gratification in most cases, but the wage structure is currently under review.
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structure → defer → review
"It's always a compliment when other clubs want your players as it means you're doing something right," says Inglethorpe.
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Inglethorpe → want → something
"But I think the market of players at 16 is distorted because of Brexit and because you can't recruit like you would do before.
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you → think → Brexit
There's always been movement of players but it feels a little more extreme now.
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"When there's a clamour for talent - fees, wages and everything else will shift accordingly, so it's dealing with what we have and adapting to a new situation."
Do Liverpool need a Scouser in the first team?
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Liverpool → be → team
When Curtis Jones moved to Inter Milan in the summer, it left Liverpool without a first team player born in the city.
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it → move → city
"I acknowledge the fact that ideally Liverpool would love to have a team full of Scousers," says Inglethorpe.
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Inglethorpe → acknowledge → Scousers
"But it is testament to the supporters that if you adopt the characteristics of a Scouser - and you only have to see the likes of Bill Shankly, Kenny Dalglish and others over the years - you can be treated as one of their own.
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you → adopt → own
"So if you are fearless, passionate, play tough and demonstrate those qualities, then it doesn't matter if you've come from an L1 postcode and got a purple bin or not.
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you → play → bin
One name to keep an eye on is 15-year-old Luca Eden.
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name → keep → eye
The midfielder was born in the Wirral and has already represented England at youth level.
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midfielder → bear → level
Last month, he became the youngest player to feature in the Uefa Youth League for Liverpool, beating a record previously held by Joshua Abe, Ngumoha and Alexander-Arnold.
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he → become → Abe
We've got plenty of Scousers in the academy and plenty who I think will play for the club.
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I → get → club
But if not and a lad comes from Warrington or wherever, that's not a problem," Inglethorpe insists.
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Inglethorpe → come → Warrington
Getting proven wrong by Jarell Quansah
One of the most challenging aspects of Inglethorpe's role is letting players go.
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players → prove → role
Liverpool released eight players from their academy set-up at the end of last season.
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Liverpool → release → season
Inglethorpe explains how the likes of Harry Kane, who was coming through the academy at Spurs when he was a youth coach there, and Alexander-Arnold weren't necessarily the best in their respective youth cohorts.
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he → explain → cohorts
You can't predict how players will react to adversity and natural bumps in the road," says Inglethorpe.
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Inglethorpe → predict → road
"I've been proven wrong so many times in the past.
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I → prove → past
A good example would be Jarell [Quansah] - someone who was always liked and never in danger of leaving but probably never seen in the top three in the group.
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who → like → group
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
