Working with Iraola, car clauses and hope - the Liverpool academy approach

Alex Inglethorpe (left) has been Liverpool's academy director since 2014 [Getty Images] One of the first things you notice in Alex Inglethorpe's office at Liverpool's AXA Training Centre is a framed image gifted by Trent Alexander-Arnold. It is a picture from 2019 of the academy director and player watching a game together. Alexander-Arnold left for a new challenge at Real Madrid last year, after 20 years on Merseyside, but his story is one of inspiration for everyone that enters Liverpool's academy. He joined as a six-year-old in 2004 and went on to win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup with Liverpool. "The ideal for any academy, and certainly for us, is wanting young players - and hopefully they're local players - to improve the first team and in doing so, they come and win trophies," says Inglethorpe. "At Liverpool the bar is high, so to have a player capable of winning everything that you could possibly win is a dream." Inglethorpe and his team oversee the development of younger players and ensure there is alignment between the academy and the first team. One of the phrases used is 'the first team pitch is only 300 metres away from the academy building in Kirkby, but the journey might take 10 years to get there'. Under new boss Andoni Iraola, players like Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas and James McConnell, who have spent time at the academy, have all featured this season. "We were fortunate because of how the calendar worked, with players still at the World Cup and a delayed return. Andoni and his staff spent a lot of his first week here watching the academy," says Inglethorpe. "So we felt ahead, in terms of building a relationship from the outset." Adapting to a 'distorted' market At the Kirkby academy, phones are handed in on a morning and there is a clause in contracts with a maximum engine size limit for cars that are driven into academy premises. "It comes back to passing your audition. First impressions matter," says Inglethorpe. "Often before you've kicked a ball, the car you drive or the watch you wear can have an impact on how you're thought of - and that could be first team staff or players looking at you. "We've believed in the idea of 'earning the right' for some time." Last week, Manchester United signed 16-year-old winger Isaac Konde from Liverpool on a one-year scholarship followed by a five-year professional deal. Both clubs are now in talks over a compensation package. In February, a tribunal ruled Liverpool must pay at least £2.8m to Chelsea for Ngumoha. The 18-year-old left Chelsea in September 2024 to join the Reds and signed his first professional contract a year later. Both are recent examples of the current climate around talent. At Liverpool, the belief is they have been sensible and responsible with a view to deferred gratification in most cases, but the wage structure is currently under review. "It's always a compliment when other clubs want your players as it means you're doing something right," says Inglethorpe. "But I think the market of players at 16 is distorted because of Brexit and because you can't recruit like you would do before. There's always been movement of players but it feels a little more extreme now. "When there's a clamour for talent - fees, wages and everything else will shift accordingly, so it's dealing with what we have and adapting to a new situation." Trent Alexander-Arnold (right) spent 20 years at Liverpool before leaving in 2025 [Getty Images] Do Liverpool need a Scouser in the first team? When Curtis Jones moved to Inter Milan in the summer, it left Liverpool without a first team player born in the city. "I acknowledge the fact that ideally Liverpool would love to have a team full of Scousers," says Inglethorpe. "But it is testament to the supporters that if you adopt the characteristics of a Scouser - and you only have to see the likes of Bill Shankly, Kenny Dalglish and others over the years - you can be treated as one of their own. "So if you are fearless, passionate, play tough and demonstrate those qualities, then it doesn't matter if you've come from an L1 postcode and got a purple bin or not. That's the beauty of the club and the crowd." One name to keep an eye on is 15-year-old Luca Eden. The midfielder was born in the Wirral and has already represented England at youth level. Last month, he became the youngest player to feature in the Uefa Youth League for Liverpool, beating a record previously held by Joshua Abe, Ngumoha and Alexander-Arnold. "We've got plenty of Scousers in the academy and plenty who I think will play for the club. But if not and a lad comes from Warrington or wherever, that's not a problem," Inglethorpe insists. Liverpool's academy players celebrate their Carabao Cup win in 2024 [Getty Images] Getting proven wrong by Jarell Quansah One of the most challenging aspects of Inglethorpe's role is letting players go. Liverpool released eight players from their academy set-up at the end of last season. Inglethorpe explains how the likes of Harry Kane, who was coming through the academy at Spurs when he was a youth coach there, and Alexander-Arnold weren't necessarily the best in their respective youth cohorts. "At that stage, there's too many unknowns. You can't predict how players will react to adversity and natural bumps in the road," says Inglethorpe. "I've been proven wrong so many times in the past. A good example would be Jarell [Quansah] - someone who was always liked and never in danger of leaving but probably never seen in the top three in the group." Quansah left Liverpool for Bayer Leverkusen in 2025 and has since won eight caps for England. "There are no certainties - the point of the academy is to allow them to fulfil their potential," says Inglethorpe. "Sometimes players need to leave to gain an opportunity. There are lots of lovely examples of boys leaving and having good careers, and I'm not convinced they would have had the same career if they stayed at Liverpool. "The linear and most productive way is to break in, but there's different pathways that can lead back to playing for Liverpool - and that is the dream." 'There are exciting times ahead' Just before the academy players go on the pitch, there is a sign that says: "Don't look sideways" - referring to where the first team train. Next month will mark 14 years at Liverpool for Inglethorpe. So what's his definition of success? "Anyone would want to take something on and leave it in a better place, and I think we've done that," he says. "Ultimately we have had players in the first team winning major trophies and we're fortunate to be part of that era." There is one standout moment. The 'Kids Cup', when Liverpool beat Chelsea in the 2024 Carabao Cup final. Faced with an injury crisis, Jurgen Klopp relied heavily on academy players and his side finished the match with a team whose average age was under 22. Klopp called it his "most special trophy". "It's definitely a moment in time. The longer the game went on, Jurgen was taking off the seniors and putting another one of the boys on. It was an incredible show of belief," says Inglethorpe. On another wall in Inglethorpe's office is a magnetic board with headshots of every player in the academy on the left and the first team squad on the right. Ultimately, the motive is for everyone to make the journey across the board. With a £20m revamp to the academy facility planned to be completed by 2028, the determination to carry on producing first team players is stronger than ever. "There are exciting times ahead with the potential for the other end, and I'm really excited for the future," says Inglethorpe. "In Julian Ward [the new sporting director], we have someone who is hugely invested in the academy and has been on this journey for a long time." Latest Liverpool news, analysis and fan views Ask about Liverpool - what do you want to know?