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da 888： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Other than goalkeeper Adrian, Lloyd Kelly was Liverpool’s only senior transfer target this summer, according to the Echo’s Paul Gorst.
What’s the story?
Kelly did enough at Bristol City last season to eventually sign for Bournemouth in May.
Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool were reportedly interested but the Cherries’ £13m offer deterred the Reds from making a bid of their own, which explains why he made the switch to the south coast.
In Andy Robertson Liverpool have a dependable figure at left-back already, so it was thought that Kelly – who is yet to make an appearance above Championship level – would arrive looking to improve his current level of ability.
Liverpool allowed Alberto Moreno to leave on a free this summer and perhaps surprisingly did not replace him, but if targeting Kelly is anything to go by then Klopp seems interested in players with future potential.
According to Paul Gorst, Klopp was satisfied with his current squad and wasn’t desperate to make further additions, which explains the Reds’ lack of transfer activity this summer.
Missed opportunity
Kelly is an exciting young talent, with two senior goals and almost 50 senior appearances under his belt at just 20 years of age. The recent rises of Dele Alli and Harry Maguire show too that EFL prospects can reach the upper echelons of the Premier League if they move at the right time.
Given their interest then, it’s surprising that Liverpool did not push Bournemouth further and instead withdrew their interest rather than competing with a £13m bid.
He will likely be worth a considerable amount more in future and learning from the likes of Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold would have benefited him a great deal, so he would have almost definitely improved even if his time on the pitch was limited.
More concerning for Liverpool is their lack of depth in the full-back positions, with Robertson their only recognised left-back – although Joe Gomez did cameo there in the European Super Cup.
The Scotland captain will be relied upon to play pretty much every game until a new left-back is brought in, making the decision to end their interest in Kelly a questionable one.