Ливерпүүл академийн бүтээгдэхүүн Кертис Жонс 30 сая фунт стерлингийн гэрээгээр Италийн аварга Интер багт нэгдлээ.
Ливерпүүлийн бүрэлдэхүүнд олон жилийн турш нутгийн тоглогчид чухал байр суурь эзэлж ирсэн ч Кертис Жонс явснаар энэ холбоо тасрахад хүрч байна. Лхагва гарагийн орой хийгдсэн 30 сая фунт стерлингийн энэхүү наймаа нь Ливерпүүлийн үндсэн багийн бүрэлдэхүүнд Ливерпүүл хотоос гаралтай тоглогч үлдээгүй гэсэн үг юм. Дасгалжуулагч Андони Ираола түүнийг багтаа авч үлдэхийг хүсэж байсан ч тоглогчийн хувийн хүсэл болон тоглолтын цаг хангалтгүй байсан зэрэг нь энэ шилжилтэд нөлөөлжээ.
25 настай Жонс Ливерпүүлийн төлөө 228 тоглолтод оролцохдоо Аваргуудын лиг, Премьер лиг, ФА цом зэрэг олон амжилтыг хамт байгуулсан. Өнгөрсөн улиралд тэрээр 49 тоглолтод оролцсон ч гарааны байр сууриа бүрэн баталгаажуулж чадаагүй тул карьерт нь өөрчлөлт хийхээр шийдсэн байна. Гэрээний хугацаа дуусахад нэг жил үлдээд байсан тул Ливерпүүл баг түүнийг үнэгүй алдахаас сэргийлж 10 хувийн дахин худалдах нөхцөлтэйгээр Интерт худалдлаа.
Одоогоор Ливерпүүлийн зүгээс Жонсын оронд шинэ тоглогч авахаар төлөвлөөгүй байгаа бөгөөд академийн залуу тоглогч Трей Ньонид ихээхэн найдлага тавьж байна. Багийн зүгээс хагас хамгаалалтын бүсээс илүүтэйгээр довтолгооны жигүүрийн байрлалыг хүчирхэгжүүлэхэд анхаарлаа хандуулж, Брайтоны Янкуба Минте болон ПСЖ-ийн Брэдли Баркола нарыг сонирхож байна. Трент Александер-Арнольд Реал Мадрид руу явснаас хойш нэг жил гаруйн дараа ийнхүү Жонс ч мөн багийг орхисноор Ливерпүүлийн “Scouse” буюу нутгийн тоглогчдын эрин үе түр завсарлалаа.
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The baton has been passed onover the years at Anfield.
From Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler to Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard. Jon Flanagan briefly held it before Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones made the breakthrough into the senior ranks from Liverpool’s Kirkby academy.
In every season in the Premier League era there’s been at least one Scouser representing the club at the highest level. However, that connection between the dressing room and the Kop that many supporters hold dear is in danger of being broken.
Jones’ £30million ($40.9m) move to Inter, which was agreed late on Wednesday night, leaves new head coach Andoni Iraola without an established Liverpool-born player in his first-team squad.
Academy graduate Jayden Danns has been around the setup in recent years, but the 20-year-old striker’s development has been hampered by several injury setbacks and he played no part in this summer’s schedule of friendlies.
There’s nobody else currently knocking on the door, although academy staff believe there are youngsters in the pipeline who will ensure that a local heartbeat returns to the side further down the line.
At his unveiling press conference last month, Iraola told reporters that he wanted Jones to stay put. “I rate Curtis very highly. It’s very important that he’s Scouse, that he’s from here,” the Basque coach said. “I hope we can keep him, not only for this year but for more time.”
Curtis Jones’ game time was limited at Liverpool (Peter Powell/AFP via Getty Images)
However, it became increasingly clear over the course of pre-season that a parting of the ways was best for everyone.
Jones’ head had been turned by interest from Serie A champions Inter, who failed in an initial attempt to get him on loan with an option to buy at the end of the January window.
At the age of 25, he wanted to be regarded as one of the mainstays in midfield, and he knew that wasn’t going to happen if he stayed at his boyhood club.
He was effectively fifth in the pecking order for three midfield spots at Liverpool behind Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. That wasn’t going to change following the end of Arne Slot’s reign and Iraola taking over.
Last season was frustrating for Jones. His tally of 49 appearances was the highest of his Anfield career, but only 28 of them were starts, including seven as a makeshift right-back. He had started the campaign with genuine hope of making England’s World Cup squad but found himself cast aside by manager Thomas Tuchel.
A mural to another departed Scouser, Trent Alexander-Arnold (Kate McShane/Getty Images)
Inter offered him both the status and financial rewards that he craved as he enters what should be his peak years. With Jones inside the final 12 months of his contract and with no prospect of him signing an extension, Liverpool were faced with either sanctioning his sale this summer or keeping an unhappy player before losing him for nothing next year.
The£30m deal, which includes a 10 per cent sell-on clause, feels like a bargain for Inter given some of the fees paid out for English midfielders during this transfer window. However, with no Premier League clubs pursuing Jones to help drive up the price, Liverpool weren’t in a strong bargaining position. Inter had initially looked to pay less than £20m.
Unless the landscape changes significantly, Liverpool are unlikely to buy a replacement for Jones before the window closes.
They believe that 19-year-old academy midfielder Trey Nyoni is ready to play a much bigger role after being one of the standout performers in pre-season. Any talk of loaning the former Leicester City youngster out has been long since silenced by the speed of his development.
Liverpool’s failure to sign a holding midfielder has been a hot topic of debate among supporters this summer. Gravenberch flourished in that position in the title-winning campaign of 2024-25 but found life tougher there last season when Arne Slot’s midfield unit was frequently outrun and outfought.
However, internally, they don’t believe that a specialist No 6 is required. They point to how Iraola sets up his team to press as a unit and how in his system the midfield is not built around a Fabinho-type player providing cover and protection for the back line when others venture forward. Instead, there’s more of a collective responsibility to get up and back.
Rather than bolstering the midfield department,Liverpool’s resources are set to be spent strengthening their options in attacking wide areas prior to the deadline.
They are still trying to negotiate a deal with Paris Saint-Germain for France international Bradley Barcola, who operates primarily off the left. He’s been their top target since their pursuit of Yan Diomande floundered in June.
Liverpool are also in the market for a right winger, with The Athletic reporting on Thursday that they’ve had a £50million bid rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion for Yankuba Minteh. The Gambia international, who is currently sidelined by a leg injury, is viewed as an alternative to PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye.
As for Jones, he leaves with his head held high and so many special memories.
Playing 228 times for Liverpool is no mean feat during their most successful period since the 1980s. After making his debut in January 2019, he went on to be part of a squad that won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, two Premier League titles, FA Cup and two League Cups.
There were spells when it looked like he would kick on and establish himself in the team, but he was never quite able to grasp it due to fitness or form. His versatility made him an asset but arguably counted against him as he regularly got shunted around.
He faced criticism for having too many touches and slowing games down at times, but he always played with a swagger, and his ability to retain possession under pressure was underappreciated. It would be no surprise to see him prosper in Italy.
Only Jones and Alexander-Arnold have reached that 200-game milestone at Liverpool among theiracademy graduates since Gerrard. Now just over a year after Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid, Jones has also moved on.
Liverpool have lost their Scouse presence, and it’s unclear when they will get it back.
