Inside Liverpool recruitment drive as new cycle begins under Andoni Iraola

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A look inside the Liverpool Academy ranks this summer as work continues at pace to strengthen the ranksPlans for Liverpool's £20m renovation of the club's Academy are being followed up with an aggressive recruitment drive at youth level.The Kirkby base has proven to be fertile ground over the last decade, with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and more recently Conor Bradley all becoming first-team stars on the back of their progress as youngsters.The level required to succeed at a club the size of Liverpool means that while many players have not quite made the grade, they have shown enough to build impressive careers elsewhere, earning the Reds tens of millions from their departures as a result.And while the end-game will always be to blood players who are good enough to become homegrown superstars, there is also an unashamed acceptance that the Academy needs to wash its own face within the club's wider structure, and it has certainly done that over the last few years.Since the turn of 2020, Liverpool have generated over £200m in sales of Academy graduates.From Tyler Morton (£15m, Lyon), Caoimhin Kelleher (£18m, Brentford) and Jarell Quansah (£35m, Bayer Leverkusen) through to the likes of Sepp van den Berg (£25m, Brentford) and Ben Gannon-Doak (£25m) - who both joined the club's youth ranks after senior experience elsewhere - the club's ability to supplement the coffers through sales of younger players is a huge part of the entire operation.Even Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose move to Real Madrid at the end of his contract was viewed by many supporters as a defection, was still able to raise £10m due to the Spanish giants needing to expedite his arrival for the Club World Cup 12 months ago.It's why owners Fenway Sports Group feel the £20m investment in Academy facilities will yield more results like that aforementioned group in time. And Liverpool have been keen to replenish their youth ranks this calendar year through the work of that department.In January they brought in Mor Talla Ndiaye, from Senegal club Aimite, for around £1m after being impressed with him at the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar in November.

The teenager was named in three match-day squads last season under Arne Slot, at Manchester United, against Chelsea at Anfield and at Aston Villa, all of which came in May.Ndiaye's arrival os expected to pave the way for a loan move for Amara Nallo this summer while contract offers have been made to a slew of Under-21s players, including Kyle Kelly and Lucas Pitt.Prince Cisse, the son of 2005 Champions League winner Djibril, signed his new deal last month before it was officially announced on Thursday and Honduras striker Keyrol Figueroa is believed to be set to sign new terms himself.Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Noah Adekoya are two more centre-back who the club moved for in January. "Musical chairs" is how the nature of youth recruitment works at this time of year at the sharp end of the Premier League, with scholars only permitted to sign one-year deals until they turn 17.It's why Liverpool's ability to fend off interest from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United for Joshua Abe has been viewed as a huge development.Fifteen-year-old Abe enjoyed a breakthrough season after making his Under-18s debut in September under Simon Wiles, scoring eight times in 10 U18 Premier League North appearances until his campaign ended prematurely due to a knee injury suffered when on international duty with England U16s in March.The teenager, who has been at Liverpool since the age of four, became the youngest player to feature for the Reds in the UEFA Youth League when he came off the bench for the round of 32 loss at MSK Zilina in Slovakia in February, and has also already trained with the first team.Abe, who is represented by Tyler Alexander-Arnold's PLG Agency, who have recently been bought by Gersh, was even given a tour of Real Madrid's facilities, such is the interest in the young winger.Liverpool have now allocated a senior squad number for Abe, meaning the teenager will wear the No.40 during the Reds' pre-season tour of the United States this summer.

It's a huge opportunity for Abe to acquaint himself with the first-team setup.“We will have a chance to work especially with some of the young players, because a lot of senior players will be out and arriving later,” new boss Andoni Iraola said last week. It will give us a lot of information before we make decisions before we start the season.”Still just 15, it would be no surprise if Rio Ngumoha's meteoric rise since trading Chelsea for Liverpool two years ago was used as a carrot for Abe himself when the Reds were seeking to keep him out of the reach of other interested parties.Liverpool may now be preparing for the future under Iraola at senior level but they quietly readying themselves for the long-term in the Academy too.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!