By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
Such was the frequency that Liverpool carried out enterprise with Southampton within the mid-to-late 2010s that it was typically joked that they need to be given a loyalty card.
5 gamers have been signed within the house of three summers, whereas one other was tried the subsequent, solely to be delayed by a public apology for tapping up and accomplished seven months later.
It could have change into a operating joke, however all however a type of six signings have been successes, with Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne turning into vital squad gamers and Sadio Mané and Virgil van Dijk among the many finest to ever characterize the membership.
Rickie Lambert stands out as an anomaly, the boyhood Liverpool supporter scoring three objectives in 36 video games in his one season at Anfield, however the membership’s then-director of analysis Ian Graham has since described the £4 million signing as an “experiment” to check out Brendan Rodgers‘ “obsession” with signing a goal man in Christian Benteke.
However, the quips are beginning once more because the Reds are more and more linked with various gamers from one other south-coast membership: this time, Bournemouth.
Arne Slot‘s second summer season switch window is predicted to be decidedly busier than his first, when Federico Chiesa stood because the membership’s solely fast signing whereas one other deal was struck to carry Giorgi Mamardashvili in for 2025.
That features curiosity in a brand new centre-back, a left-back and one other vast ahead, all of whom may feasibly be plucked from Andoni Iraola‘s Bournemouth squad.
Because it stands, Liverpool’s chief goal for the left-back function is Milos Kerkez, the 21-year-old Hungary worldwide who’s shut mates with Dominik Szoboszlai, whereas there’s mounting hypothesis over a transfer for Dean Huijsen, the 19-year-old Spain centre-back with a £50 million launch clause.
There are additional reviews of curiosity in winger Antoine Semenyo – who terrorised Trent Alexander-Arnold in an eventual 2-0 win for Liverpool in February – amid doubts over the futures of Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.
Clearly, there are similarities between the Southampton of the mid-2010s and this present Bournemouth iteration; each have been upwardly cellular sides with one of many Premier League’s most gifted younger managers and an enviable recruitment construction.
These at Liverpool will know that higher than most, not least as Richard Hughes, their new sporting director, joined the membership from Bournemouth final summer season, having beforehand held the place of technical director at Dean Court docket since 2016.
Hughes introduced with him chief scout Mark Burchill and Craig McKee, one other scout, as a part of a new-look switch setup within the halls of Liverpool’s AXA Coaching Centre. Given these ties to Bournemouth, the continuing hyperlinks begin to make extra sense.
Whereas Liverpool are usually not beholden to the opinions of solely a handful of recruitment heads, as a substitute using a legion of scouts, analysts and information scientists to tell their selections on signings and gross sales, it actually helps that the background work has already been carried out as soon as earlier than on the likes of Kerkez and Huijsen.
There will probably be a conviction over every participant’s character together with what they’ll supply to the facet, and extra so how they might match into a selected system. Hughes, Burchill and McKee can even have a greater understanding of the ceiling of these gamers, as Liverpool will probably be shopping for as a lot for the long run as they’re the fast time period this summer season.
The connection between the 2 golf equipment runs deeper than these new faces inside Liverpool’s hierarchy, although, together with a long-standing relationship between Bournemouth and Michael Edwards, now put in as Fenway Sports activities Group’s CEO of soccer.
Edwards fostered a powerful bond with not solely Hughes but in addition future Bournemouth coaches Eddie Howe and Gary O’Neil when he labored as chief analyst at Portsmouth they usually have been a part of Harry Redknapp’s first-team squad.
The friendship remained past their taking part in days and, of their future roles as sporting director at Liverpool and technical director at Bournemouth respectively, it typically noticed Edwards and Hughes in touch over transfers.
That included the gross sales of Dominic Solanke, Jordon Ibe and Brad Smith to Bournemouth, in addition to loans for Harry Wilson, Nat Phillips and Nathaniel Clyne, but in addition direct competitors for various gamers each golf equipment wished to signal.
Hughes had hoped to signal Andy Robertson, Harvey Elliott and Joe Gomez solely to lose out to Edwards’ Liverpool, whereas the latter noticed curiosity within the likes of Lloyd Kelly, Lewis Cook dinner and David Brooks fall quick as they opted for Dean Court docket over Anfield.
Bournemouth might have misplaced the core of their recruitment setup in the summertime however they’re nonetheless having fun with the fruits of their labour, not least the appointment of Iraola as head coach and the squad Hughes and Co. helped construct.
The Cherries sit tenth within the Premier League as the ultimate worldwide break of the marketing campaign performs out, however they’re solely 5 factors off fourth and might harbour real hopes of securing European soccer for the season to come back.
It’s an unlucky actuality that a lot of the squad that might make them the continental stage may very well be picked aside earlier than they’re able to expertise it for the primary time, however that might actually profit Liverpool.
In Kerkez and Huijsen specifically, Bournemouth possess two gamers who seem able to making the step as much as life at Anfield – and there will probably be testimonies to that impact on supply from these throughout the membership.
So whereas there could also be jibes from the skin about Bournemouth following Southampton as their subsequent unofficial feeder membership, there will probably be each confidence that any stamps on their new loyalty card will probably be a worthwhile funding for Liverpool.
(Cowl picture from IMAGO)
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