If Salah and Virgil hadn’t been renewed, you can pretty much hear the shouting already. FSG, Hughes, Edwards and Arne Slot would’ve worn it from every angle, because you’re talking about two of the league’s best and the spine of what Liverpool are.

And that’s the bit people sometimes skip past when they say “just plan the succession”. Planning is easy on a spreadsheet. It’s harder in real life, because players good enough to replace that calibre don’t typically agree to spend a year or two sat on a bench, never mind in the reserves. It’s not 1984. Top players need top minutes, and if they’re not getting them, they’re looking elsewhere. Fair enough, really.

The myth of the perfect understudy

You can point to the occasional example where a club buys early and develops the replacement elsewhere. Arsenal did it with Saliba. But even that came with risk and friction, and it’s easy to forget how quickly a “smart loan” can turn into a player wondering why he’s being treated like a project rather than a starter.

On top of that, Liverpool’s record with loans hasn’t always screamed “pathway”. Sometimes a lad goes out, plays a bit, comes back, and nothing really moves. So if your grand plan is to sign the next Salah two years early and loan him out until the time is right, you’re banking on a lot going perfectly.

Transfer windows squeeze everyone

The window system doesn’t help either, and this is where the youth conversation gets interesting. Clubs feel they have to end August and January with a tight, ready squad, because if you get two injuries in the same area, you can’t just fix it next week. You’re stuck.

That pressure makes managers cautious. If you had the freedom to go to the market at any time, you might be more willing to throw a kid in for a couple of games. If he’s out of his depth, you can correct it. With windows, you often can’t, so you reach for the trusted option instead.

Maybe it was always like this

There’s also a bit of nostalgia in how we talk about academy “drop-offs”. Kids disappear now because they’re hyped up so early. Kaide Gordon is a name that springs to mind, but the truth is it probably happened just as much years ago, only without the constant online spotlight and the “next Gerrard” tag.

Even looking back at youth success, it’s sobering. Liverpool’s history shows that winning youth trophies doesn’t guarantee a conveyor belt of first-teamers. You can have a youth cup-winning side where only one or two actually make it, and the rest drift into the game’s long grass. That’s not a Liverpool-only problem. It’s football.

So yes, the renewals matter. But the bigger point is that building the next version of Liverpool isn’t just about buying a name to sit in the shadows. The modern game rarely allows it.

Written by - Something Red -: 23 January 2026

Tags: transfers efl tactics