Liverpool confirm news of long-term deal as midfielder who’s ‘a joy to watch’ puts pen to paper

Liverpool have secured the future of one of their brightest young talents, as announced by the club on Friday night.

The Reds’ official website confirmed the news that James McConnell has signed a new long-term contract at Anfield, with the 19-year-old committing himself to LFC for the foreseeable future.

The teenager had penned his first professional deal with the Merseyside giants in September 2021.

McConnell’s new contract is just reward for the progression he’s made over the past year, having been dubbed ‘a joy to watch’ by none other than Jurgen Klopp following a tremendous display in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Leicester in pre-season (90min).

The 19-year-old has since made three appearances off the bench for the Reds’ first team, coming on against Toulouse (home) and Union Saint-Gilloise (away) in the Europa League and getting a brief Premier League debut in the win over Brentford at Anfield (Transfermarkt).

He’s also been in the matchday squad for LFC’s last nine games in all competitions (Transfermarkt), a telling indicator of how much his manager rates him even when accounting for having numerous players unavailable through injury or international duty.

McConnell will be hoping to get further first-team minutes before the end of the season, something which could depend on the squad depth available to Klopp, the scope for rotation based on the circumstances of certain fixtures, and of course the midfielder’s own abilities.

Here’s hoping 2024 can be a breakthrough year for the young midfielder at Liverpool.