Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas and Bobby Clark: remember the names. But then again, you might already recognize them – and not because all three teenagers appeared for Liverpool on Wednesday night, with Danns scoring twice and Koumas scoring the opener in a 3-0 win over Southampton in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
All three have famous fathers and are sons of former Premier League professionals Neil Danns, Jason Koumas and Lee Clark respectively. If this seems like anything of note, it’s not exclusive to Liverpool – Manchester City have the Heskey twins, Jaden and Reigan, in their academy, while Jack and Tyler Fletcher, sons of Darren, are at Manchester United – but Liverpool’s academy seems to do that. have a cluster of prospects with paternal connections. Keyrol Figueroa, son of former Wigan defender Maynor, and Prince Kobe Cissé, son of 2005 Champions League winner Djibril, are also heading there, and Marcus Neill, son of former Australian international Lucas, recently left for Sunderland.
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What’s behind this trend at Liverpool? Alex Inglethorpe, the club’s celebrated academy director, tells the Guardian that signing the children of former professionals is “not a strategy” but is the confluence of a few factors.
“If former players settle in the area, the club may be an obvious point of contact for them,” says Inglethorpe. “It is a natural assumption that as the son of a former player they will grow up in a football environment and may have an interest in the sport. That, combined with athletic genes, given that their father could play professional football, means it’s not surprising that they end up being good. But we have somewhere between 160 and 180 guys in the academy, so that’s really only a small percentage of who we have.”
Figueroa will likely be the next player on this list to try to force his way into Jurgen Klopp’s plans. The 17-year-old attacker, born like his father in Honduras but an American youth international, is in the under-18s. Cissé, also a forward, is only 15 so it seems unlikely he will feature in the first team alongside Danns, Koumas and Clark this season.
“I’m speaking to [those five] regularly, on and off the field,” says Inglethorpe. “Unless they want to talk about their fathers, I try not to refer to it because I think it can be a burden. I don’t want to add to the burden they probably have in their minds to achieve the same or more than their fathers. They are people with their own rights.”
Inglethorpe describes the junior academy – aged eight to 13 – as “kind of like a really good Sunday League club. Great fields, coaches are really good, the equipment is beautiful! But things are different at the senior academy. How you prepare a 14 year old boy changes at that age with dates and nutrition. The message changes.”
Perhaps that message is already ingrained in the sons of famous football players? Perhaps there is an inherent understanding of what it takes to make it at an elite level, and the sacrifices required in fitness, rest, social plans and nutrition? “I’m glad they’re just young players, young guys,” Inglethorpe said. “Jayden comes from ‘pre-academy’, when he was six or seven. Figgy came in at the age of 11-12, from primary football. Bobby came to us at the age of 16, via Newcastle. It’s nice that they all have a slightly different story.”
Clark’s transfer from Newcastle did make headlines, with Liverpool reportedly spending £1.5 million on the midfielder. His father, Lee, has explained how Liverpool sealed the deal. “When Bobby decided to leave Newcastle he had discussions with the four or five clubs who had agreed [a fee] with Newcastle,” Lee told the Echo last year. “He was just impressed by how much depth of knowledge Liverpool had of him… why they believed he could be a first-team player. He has also seen close family friends of ours, such as Terry McDermott, since he was a young boy and understood what Liverpool means.”
The story of how Clark came to Liverpool appears to be indirectly linked to his father, but Inglethorpe says Lee “was not involved” in contract negotiations. “He was there as a father, but very respectful. If your son goes to work at a bank tomorrow, you wouldn’t have an appointment with the bank manager and ask if he should stand behind the cash register or somewhere in the back, would you? There comes a time when you have to leave them alone.
‘I don’t know if those five [sons of former players] are better equipped to meet the demands of modern football. I have always believed that talent can take you to 16 years old, and character can take you to 35 years old. To get into the Liverpool XI, where they compete for domestic and European trophies, the standard is incredibly high. Keep working hard, try not to look at others and stay patient. The same as any other boy, regardless of his origin.”
Regardless of origin, the role of parents is extremely important for young players. “The majority of parents we work with are respectful when it comes to trusting coaches’ decisions,” Inglethorpe says. “Of course, not every single parent is happy. But most also understand that it is difficult. It’s not data-driven. At school you can take an exam and pass a percentage on that exam. It’s not up for debate. But football is about opinions, and there’s a lot of crystal ball looking at how that kid might play in the future. And sometimes we’re going to be wrong.
“Trent [Alexander-Arnold]His parents were not professional football players, but he received many messages about resilience. I read an interview by Robin van Persie, who talked about a conversation he had with his son [Shaqueel, at PSV’s academy] about not allowing himself to become a victim. He didn’t let his son think like a loser and didn’t blame anyone else: his coach or his teammates. About learning to be proactive. That was very interesting.”
Another person who remains proactive is Klopp. It may take a village to raise and coach a young professional footballer to the top level, but Klopp’s faith in those teenagers – even in some of the biggest games of the season – feels unique.
“I am fortunate to be at Liverpool at a time when many of the first-team staff are genuinely curious and enthusiastic about the young players,” says Inglethorpe. “Jürgen will be addressed by his staff, he will look at those players, talk about those players and something that separates him: he will play against those young players. He is brave enough to give them a chance, and not just in games that don’t matter.”