Liverpool could now sanction a temporary exit from Anfield for one of their brightest young talents this summer.
According to James Pearce for The Athletic, Ben Doak is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs, including promoted duo Leicester and Southampton, with the 18-year-old yearning for regular game-time in the 2024/25 season after injuries ruined the previous campaign for him.
The Scottish teenager realises that his minutes could be limited if he stays at Anfield, where he’d be the understudy to Mo Salah. Both Arne Slot and Richard Hughes are aware of the youngster’s wishes and plan to discuss the options with him once the Reds return from their current U.S. tour.
It’s been clear to Liverpool fans for some time that Doak is an ‘exceptional‘ prospect, to use the wording of Scotland under-21 boss Scot Gemmill, and his desire for regular game-time after an injury-ravaged 2023/24 campaign is entirely understandable.
While he’s certainly shown enough to suggest that he could be a valued squad member at Anfield for the upcoming season, nudging ahead of Salah on a regular basis is probably too tall an order for the moment, hence his apparent desire to try his luck elsewhere.
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Of the two clubs mentioned in Pearce’s report, Southampton would appear to be the more preferable option if the 18-year-old is loaned out. Their manger Russell Martin is renowned for his adherence to a free-flowing style of football, while competition for a wide attacking berth would be far more intense at Leicester.
If Liverpool decide to grant Doak a loan exit, it must be to a club where he’d play regularly – he can’t be allowed to squander a valuable few months of his fledgling career like Fabio Carvalho when he was shipped off to RB Leipzig last summer, only to barely feature for the Bundesliga outfit.
The remainder of pre-season should offer a clearer picture of the Scottish gem’s prospects of game-time at Anfield in 2024/25, and whether loaning him out would be the best option for all parties concerned.
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