James Pearce: Liverpool Academy feared losing young player with limitless potential to Man City
Jarrell Quansah might have been playing in very different colours on Sunday had trials with Manchester City persuaded him to join the Sky Blues.
Such was the fear of the Reds’ Academy staff, though such concerns would prove to be unfounded as the defender opted to sign for Liverpool instead as a young player.
“Quanash, who was a pupil at Locking Stumps Primary School, wasn’t short of offers. He spent time at clubs across the north west of England before officially signing for Liverpool at under-nines level,” James Pearce wrote for The Athletic.
“There was a period when their academy staff feared they would lose him to Manchester City.
“‘I went around different places to see what was out there: I did City, (Manchester) United, Wigan, Bolton… all of them,’ he says. ‘Back then, I was just playing and enjoying what I was doing. Any time I could play football, I was happy. My parents thought having more options would be better.
“‘I just remember Liverpool offering the best training. That was where I enjoyed my football the most and that’s why I stayed’.”
It’s a decision that has ultimately paid dividends for both player and club, with the 21-year-old entrusted with considerable first-team minutes this term (1,740).
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How good could Jarell Quansah be for Liverpool?
That depends entirely on how high Quansah’s ceiling is, though the early signs are more than promising.
“The sky is the limit, so he just has to stay humble and keep working hard and keep improving because there will be a lot of bumps along the road,” Virgil van Dijk said to both praise and warn his young teammate (via OneFootball).
If you’re looking for a barometer of where our No.78 is and where he could be in a few years’ time, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better indicator than his performance against Manchester City in a high stakes meeting.
Whilst the defender hasn’t been flawless on every occasion, his performances have made a difference on some of the biggest stages.
He can take that to the bank now and live off the interest for at least the rest of the 2023/24 campaign.
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