28 Jan 2017

Done Deal: Liverpool seal late move for 'outstanding' midfielder. 6-month loan

Liverpool have confirmed that one of the club's most promising young talents has left the club on loan.

In September, Academy midfielder Cameron Brannagan vowed to 'keep working hard' to break into Liverpool's first-team squad, but according to a statement today on LFC's official website:

"Liverpool can confirms that Cameron Brannagan has joined Fleetwood Town on loan until the end of the season".

Fleetwood Town? In terms of personal footballing development, what can Brannagan - who describes himself as a 'box-to-box man' - learn from playing in League One? Is the standard going to be that much higher than playing in the U23s, and being in and around Liverpool's first-team squad?

Granted, a loan deal is probably a good idea, but a move to another Premier League team, or a Championship side is (arguably) a more valuable learning experience. At least it's not Accrington Stanley (where Academy defender Lloyd Jones ended up last season).

In my view, the end is nigh for Brannagan. Last season, he made 9 first-team appearances, and if Klopp rated him, he would've had him in the first-team set-up this year. Instead, the likes of Ejaria, Woodburn, and Alexander-Arnold - all of whom are younger than Brannagan - have repeatedly been preferred, which doesn't bode well for the future.

Ex-U23 team-mate Joe Maguire recently signed a permanent deal with Fleetwood Town, and it won't surprise me in the slightest if Brannagan follows him out of the door at the end of the season.

^ Hailed by Jurgen Klopp as an 'outstanding' talent. Sep 2016: Admitted he wants to 'be like Coutinho, or even like Iniesta".


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