West Brom, Derby County and Ipswich Town to miss out on Liverpool transfer | OneFootball

West Brom, Derby County and Ipswich Town have missed out on Liverpool's James McConnell, with the midfielder joining Ajax on loan.

Liverpool’s James McConnell is poised to join Ajax on loan, ending the likes of West Brom, Derby County and Ipswich Town's chances of landing the midfielder.

The 20-year-old joined the Premier League champions as a teenager from Sunderland in 2019, and he has progressed through the ranks over the years.

McConnell has featured in the first-team for Liverpool, which included playing in the Champions League last season for the Reds against PSV.

However, even with Arne Slot praising McConnell, it was always going to be extremely difficult for the player to get near the first-team, so a loan move was always on the cards for this season.

Ajax set to win transfer race for Liverpool’s James McConnell

It had been claimed previously this summer by MailSport reporter Lewis Steele that West Brom, Derby County and Ipswich Town were among the clubs tracking McConnell.

However, the Championship trio now look set to miss out on the player, as The Athletic have confirmed McConnell is set to sign a new five-year contract at Anfield, before joining Ajax on loan for the remainder of the season.

The update confirms that there has been interest in the midfielder from clubs in Europe and the Championship, but it’s the Dutch giants who have won the race for his signature.

It's believed that Ajax boss Johnny Heitinga has been key to the Amsterdam giants winning his signature, as he knows the player from his time on Slot’s coaching staff at Liverpool last season.

Oxford United and Hull City have also been namechecked as two clubs who were also trying to sign the England youth international.

James McConnell could’ve flourished in the Championship

This news will come as a blow for clubs in the Championship, as McConnell is a very exciting young talent who could’ve really made a mark in the second tier.

However, you can understand why he has decided to join Ajax, as they are a huge club who will be competing for trophies domestically, and they will also be able to offer Champions League football.

So on the face of it, it’s a great opportunity for McConnell under a coach that he knows well, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out for him over the rest of the campaign.

Perhaps the only risk is that he might not be able to play every week, so you can be sure that Liverpool are monitoring that, and Championship clubs may think it’s one to revisit in January if McConnell isn’t getting the game time he wants and is recalled to Anfield.

Having been excelling in Liverpool's academy for a number of years now, evidently he would've been a significant coup for a Championship side given the fact he's landed a move to a club such as Ajax.

Ipswich Town are known to be looking to add another central midfielder to their ranks before the deadline, whilst supporters of West Brom, Derby, Oxford or Hull would all surely not have been disappointed to see another talented midfielder added to their respective ranks.