Liverpool left it too late as Chelsea seal deal for yet another top South American talent - Fabrizio Romano
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Liverpool have had to watch on as Chelsea hoover up talent after talent from the South American market.Despite the continent being filled with prodigious young players looking to further their careers in Europe, the Reds simply have not made the most of their status.In contrast, Chelsea have moved quickly and decisively to sign a number of the highest profile wonderkids available.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. Liverpool got a front-row seat to how effective their strategy is becoming in October, when Estevao Willian pounced to score a last-second winner against them at Stamford Bridge.The Reds could have signed Estevao had they been a little more proactive, and according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, they have now been beaten to yet another top talent.On Friday, Liverpool were linked with Deinner Ordonez, a 16-year-old Ecuadorian creating waves with Independiente del Valle.
According to Romano, the Reds were simply too late to the party.Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesLiverpool too slow on Deinner OrdonezAs Liverpool shop around for centre-backs who can future-proof their back line, Ordonez had sounded like an exciting prospect.Clearly, he would not be a signing for the here and now – and he will not join Chelsea until 2028 – but by moving quickly, the Blues have made certain that if he blossoms as expected, they will benefit.READ MORE: Why Liverpool fans should ignore rumours they’re signing Antoine Semenyo in JanuarySpeaking to his YouTube channel late on Friday evening, Romano briefly mentioned Liverpool’s interest, but confirmed that they were far too slow in following it up.“Today in the morning we had links with Liverpool, saying that they were also interested. We wait for an official statement but the deal is done.”While this is certainly nothing to lose sleep over this weekend, like Estevao, Ordonez may eventually come back to bite Liverpool and their sluggishness will be to blame.Liverpool must improve South American businessAlthough Chelsea signing yet another South American teenager will likely cause eye rolls from rival supporters, Liverpool fans should be slightly concerned.As a top club, they should be in the driving seat for some of these players when they move to Europe.
Instead, Liverpool tend to allow South American talents to join two or three different clubs before paying over the odds to get them years later.It is time the Reds cut out the middle man here and went straight to the source. As Estevao and others have shown, they are able to adapt and slot straight into a European team.Liverpool need to start trusting their scouts who are clearly doing work on these players only to see other clubs win the race.Ordonez can now be added to a long list of hot prospects who have gotten away from the Reds.