How good is Trent Kone-Doherty and are Liverpool making a mistake letting him go? - opinion
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Liverpool have lost one of the most important players in their U21s squad this weekend after Trent Kone-Doherty left for Norwegian side Molde FK.The Irishman has been in good form for Rob Page’s team this season, also earning himself a senior appearance in the Carabao Cup.However, Kone-Doherty has joined joined Molde FK for a fee of around £650k as he seeks more first-team opportunities. Mac Allister over Szoboszlai? 🤔 Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images Why Liverpool may have made a mistakeWhen Kone-Doherty joined Liverpool in 2022, he did so with a view to being promoted into the first-team.
The Reds have been excellent at signing 16 and 17-year-olds in recent years and both Kone-Doherty and Ben Doak looked like good bets to make the senior side.Doak ultimately shifted ahead of his Irish counterpart in the youth team standings, but that does not mean that Kone-Doherty was not impressing in his own right.He immediately went about showing off his pace and direct approach to then U21s coach Barry Lewtas, who praised his adaptation to Liverpool in October 2022.“Trent looks really dynamic, he can take players on, he combines well, he’s a wide attacking player who seems pretty fearless when he’s in one-v-one moments,” Lewtas said. With his contract ending this summer it is understandable that Kone-Doherty wanted first-team minutes and he is arguably ready for them, but if he had been just a little more patient that could still have come at Liverpool.READ MORE: What Liverpool’s tie against Galatasaray really means for their Champions League chancesIt was not going to arrive this or probably next season, but a loan move to a Championship or League One side would potentially have been better for his development than jetting off to the Norwegian league, with all due respect.Kone-Doherty is now going to have to go through another period of adaptation, and there is no guarantee that that will go smoothly and result in a place in the team.
That may not have been with the Reds, but there would have been no harm in him hanging around a touch longer, securing a good loan and showing Arne Slot what he could do in men’s football.Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesIn terms of a transfer fee, Liverpool have actually made a big return on the £150k or so they paid for Kone-Doherty in 2022, and it is an excellent piece of business considering he has such little time left on his contract. As a result, it may ultimately have been best for everybody for him to move on.Nevertheless, Liverpool reportedly retain a buyback clause as well as a sell-on fee with the Irish youngster, indicating that they do feel there is a slight chance he could yet materialise into a winger worth pursuing again.In the context of him having a few months left on his deal, Liverpool cannot argue with the terms of the deal, and the presence of a buyback means they could correct this ‘mistake’ and bring Kone-Doherty back.For the young man now, his career starts in earnest.