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Having won the 2019 UEFA Champions League, hopes were high that Liverpool would go and spend some big cash this summer. With an already padded squad that is decked out with quality, though, it appears that Jurgen Klopp will instead turn to youth. One of the names who is getting a lot of gametime in pre-season – and who was part of the post-season celebrations – was Rhian Brewster.

The highly impressive youngster has made a hugely positive impact in pre-season, and has managed to really establish himself as the ‘other’ forward.

What makes him so special?

Rapid and predatorial in his finishing, Brewster has the technical qualities and mental reading of the game of an adult. He’s got excellent physical skills, too, with plenty of strength, no shortage of balance, and an excellent turn of pace. This makes hi ma hard player to deal with; his opportunistic finishing, smart movement, and tremendous link-up for one so young is really impressive, too.

Liverpool have been looking for a hard-working, physically durable, technically sound player who can link-up and score goals. That is what Roberto Firmino does for the side. Brewster has all of those attributes.

Any concerns or doubts?

Gametime. Like many of the youngsters we are covering, the problem for Brewster is the four or five players ahead of him are incredible. The likes of Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mo Salah do not miss much in terms of matches. As such, it would be hard to see Brewster getting too many minutes when they are all fit and durable.

With all three having enjoyed summer tournament football with their nations, all three will be returning later than usual. Brewster has exploded in pre-season, and he might just get a few games at the start of this season when the big boys are returning.

That could be make or break for the young Englishman: if he can take his chance, he could establish himself far sooner than he thinks. Miss his chance, though, and long-term gametime might not be too forthcoming this season.

When you are a player with the endless talent that Jadon Sancho has, it must be hard to stay focused. The same goes when you see constant chatter about your future and what you have the opportunity to go and do. However, the thing about Sancho is that he’s only 20, and he plays in one of the biggest leagues in Europe for one of the biggest clubs in the world. For some, it’s hard to understand the desire for him to move on from the club.

Indeed, one player – a proper Borussia Dortmund legend – who agrees that Sancho should stay put is someone who he knows and respects. It’s his present team captain and role model, Marco Reus. Speaking to Sport Bild via the Bulinews platform, Reus was clear about what his advice would be, saying: “Jadon is an outstanding player and will definitely remain in demand by many clubs. That is a fact. He’s now playing at an even higher level than last year and would be extremely valuable in achieving our goals,

“I would advise him to stay at BVB for another year, maybe two. From my point of view, there is no better place for him at the moment. Afterwards, he can take the really big step as an even more complete player, having developed further in peace here as a regular starter. 

“He would have to find his place at a new club, which isn’t always easy for a 20-year-old. Just how interesting do you think Jadon will be for the biggest clubs if he spends one, two or three years more here to develop further?” 

For many English football fans, the desire to see Sancho back on the UK shores is understandable. As Reus points out about, though, is it really something that Sancho himself needs?

Should he really be willing to move on when Dortmund can still offer him so much, both now and in the near future?

With both clubs likely needing a bit of a relief from challenging form elsewhere, the FA Cup offers some respite. This midweek, Jose Mourinho could do with a win – but so could much beleaguered Norwich coach Daniel Farke. The Portuguese and German coaches have struggled this season to ignite the kind of performances they would have hoped for – Mourinho especially. Could a deep cup run help to allay some of the talk around either manager not being the long-term solution after all?

Spurs News

Spurs are doing OK at the moment – though nothing more than OK. A win of three runs on the spin was broken up by a pair of losses against Chelsea and RB Leipzig respectively. The club are suffering with injuries, too, primarily up-front but also elsewhere.

The squad somehow looks imbalanced and thin at the same time, with a lot of uncertainty in key positions. They lack firepower up front at the moment too due to injuries. Perhaps we could see a young player given a shot, such as Troy Parrott. Otherwise, expect an attacking midfielder to play up-front.

Norwich News

The Canaries are in decent enough shape in terms of injuries for once, at least in terms of injuries. Having spent most of the season it feels in an injury crisis, they have just the four players out for the game. They’ll be short of important players, though, with Sam Byram and Christoph Zimmermann missing out for sure, and Timm Klose still out for the long-term.

The club isn’t in great shape in terms of performances, though. Recent form has seen them pick up a mere one win in their last six, and the club has lost four of those. They aren’t in a great place, in truth.

Verdict

Spurs win. Don’t expect many goals in this, though; Norwich are nowhere near as prolific as some might have hoped given earlier performances. Spurs lack any kind of real firepower for now, too, so it’s hard to see this being more than a 2-goal game. Expect Spurs to see it through, though both managers probably want out of the competition sometime soon to focus on league consolidation. For Norwich, though, this might be their last chance eat some joy out of a fairytale gone sour.

Chelsea fans have for some time waited for their club to give youth a chance. Given the way the club has been built in the Roman Abramovich era, though, it’s easy to see why experience often wins out over youthful endeavour. However, in Mason Mount, the Blues might just have a talent on their hands who could change that for good.

What makes him so special?

Without being harsh on British players, what makes him stand out so much is that he plays in such an un-British manner. Though his physicality is definitely something that has to improve, Mount has become a regular goalscorer in the Championship and for his country at youth level.

An incisive passer with an eye for goal, and with a good range for picking out when to shoot and when to pass, Mount displays technical gifts far in excess of what you would expect. His maturity for one so young is very impressive, too; it would be hard to say much negative about his game. His smart, slick passing will fit in well with a Chelsea side well-accustomed to keeping the ball moving and progressing.

Any concerns or doubts?

In terms of his physical prowess, that would be his biggest concern and weakness. Still quite a slight young player, his tackling needs work and he’s more or less a man down when it comes to rough and tumble midfield battles. When he does tackle, it often leads to a foul – his tackling needs some serious work.

Still, he’s not going to get in the Chelsea side to kick ankles; he’ll be there to play passes and make the play tick. For Mount, the physical disparity in his game will be fixed with age and gametime. When that comes, the Blues could have a real star on their hands – and one of their own, too.