Pre-season can often be the perfect opportunity for young players to stake a claim for further first-team inclusion once the competitive action gets underway, and it seems that one rising talent at Liverpool has made the most of his chance over the past month.
The Reds have been intently pursuing attacking reinforcements over the summer, bringing in Victor Munoz from Osasuna and working on a potential double raid on Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye.
Even if neither of the latter duo were to arrive at Anfield, another first-team forward option may have emerged from within for Andoni Iraola’s side.
Liverpool ‘still deciding’ on what to do with Lewis Koumas
The latest edition of The Athletic‘s Transfer DealSheet was published on Tuesday morning, and Gregg Evans and James Pearce assessed the chances of some Liverpool players leaving the club (either permanently or on loan) in the final two weeks of August.
The report mentioned that Anfield chiefs ‘are still deciding what to do next’ with Lewis Koumas and could yet decide to retain the 20-year-old as cover for the upcoming season, having impressed in recent friendlies.
Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Koumas’ fate could depend on Liverpool’s transfer pursuits
The Wales international has still made just one official senior appearance for Liverpool, his goalscoring debut in an FA Cup win over Southampton two-and-a-half years ago, with subsequent loan spells at Stoke, Birmingham and Hull.
Jurgen Klopp has previously spoken highly of the forward’s talents, hailing his ‘wonderful’ goal against the Saints in February 2024 (Wales Online), and the youngster netted for the Reds in their 4-2 victory over Sunderland in their first pre-season game under Iraola last month.
Realistically, Koumas would be a backup player at best if he stays at Anfield for this campaign, and his fate may well be contingent on that of the pursuits of Barcola and Mbaye.
If one or both PSG wingers are signed, it’s difficult to imagine the Welshman getting much of a look-in for Liverpool, and therefore another loan move (maybe to a Premier League club this time?) would seem to be in everyone’s best interests.
However, if the Reds don’t add any more attackers to their squad before the 1 September deadline, there may yet be merit to keeping the 20-year-old in the hope that he can make the most of whatever opportunities he’s afforded by Iraola and establish himself as a genuine first-team option in the same way that Rio Ngumoha has done over the past 12 months.