Liverpool steps up global youth investment with Ndiaye arrival

Liverpool is pushing harder to find young talent worldwide, and Mor Talla Ndiaye (Liverpool) is the clearest example. The left-footed centre-half, 18, was signed in January for “around £1m plus add-ons” after impressing at the U17 World Cup in Qatar last winter, following interest from other European clubs.

BBC Sport points out that since 2020 Liverpool have made over £230m from selling players who had been part of their youth setup. That money feeds a model backed by owner Fenway Sports Group, with funds reinvested into the club. The report also stresses how Brexit changed the market: international transfers are only allowed after a player turns 18, and Premier League clubs can’t sign under-18s from European countries.

Building a path to the first team

Alex Inglethorpe, Liverpool’s Academy director, told BBC Sport that the first intention with any signing is for the player to have a route into the first team, starting locally in Merseyside and widening out, with national recruitment beginning at 14 and then going global.

Liverpool began discussions with Ndiaye, his academy and his agency, Sport Cover, after scouts spotted him at the U17 World Cup. The club then travelled to Senegal to visit his training environment and arrange a round-table meeting with his family. Rob Page, who leads Liverpool’s U21s, said Ndiaye is “on the right path” with the right attitude, while adding he still has a lot of work to do.

The same recruitment strategy is reflected elsewhere: after the U17 World Cup, Liverpool signed another centre-half, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, for £2.6m, and the 18-year-old is on loan at Levante in LaLiga while he works toward a UK work permit. Samuel Martinez (17), a Colombian midfielder, is also set to join next summer after his father said he received “30 offers” worldwide. The article notes it doesn’t always work, citing Arsenal’s move for Georgia’s Andria Bartishvili.