Birmingham City and Stoke fans must be scratching their heads at shock Liverpool decision | OneFootball

Lewis Koumas spent two unsuccessful spells on loan with Birmingham City and Stoke City before emerging as a part of Liverpool's first team

Birmingham City and Stoke City will both be looking to secure a place in the newly revamped Championship top eight this season, as both may be sharing some surprise at how one former player has progressed since their loan spells with the second-tier duo.

Birmingham remain one of the most ambitious clubs in the EFL. Although spending has somewhat calmed down this summer, the Blues have spent in excess of £50 million over the past couple of years as head coach Chris Davies looks to guide the club back to the Premier League.

Stoke are no slouches when it comes to getting the chequebook out either, with the Potters spending in the region of £30 million this summer alone, as Mark Robins hopes to finally break their decade-long run of finishing in the bottom half of whichever division they have competed in.

Both will have their eyes firmly set on a place in the Championship play-offs at the very least, as both may also share some surprise at the recent exploits of former loanee and current Welsh international Lewis Koumas.

Lewis Koumas' first loan spell was with Stoke City in the Championship

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Koumas, 20, has spent his entire career in the youth system of Liverpool, progressed through the Reds' ranks into the first-team squad, and ahead of the 2024/25 season, was allowed to leave on loan to a Championship club.

Stoke would snap him up, and on his full debut for the Potters, he would find the back of the net against West Bromwich Albion, but it wouldn't be a sign of things to come.

Steven Schumacher, the head coach who signed Koumas, was dismissed after just four games, and although he remained a regular in Narcis Pelach's disastrous spell in charge, he would eventually fall out of favour under Mark Robins and finished his spell in the Potteries with six goals and three assists in 49 games across all competitions.

Lewis Koumas would struggle for minutes on loan with Birmingham City

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Having featured regularly in the second tier in the 2024/25 campaign, Koumas would be allowed to leave on loan once again the following year, this time joining Birmingham.

In the Second City, Koumas would provide competition on the flanks for the likes of Patrick Roberts, Demarai Gray, Jay Stansfield, and Kyogo Furuhashi, but by the time the January window rolled around, Koumas had made just seven league starts for the Blues, and would be allowed to return to Liverpool.

Ibrahim Osman and Carlos Vicente joined the Blues that very window, as Koumas would join Hull City on loan for the second half of last season, helping the Tigers to the Premier League via the play-offs.

His spell on Humberside yielded even fewer minutes than what he had been able to muster during his time at Birmingham, but despite this, the Welshman has gone from strength to strength.

Why Andoni Iraola has integrated Lewis Koumas into Liverpool's first-team plans despite Birmingham City and Stoke City struggles

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Liverpool's attacking options are among the very best in the world, with the likes of Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola, Hugo Ekitiké, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Rio Ngumoha, Federico Chiesa, Víctor Muñoz, and Florian Wirtz to pick from.

With this, one would think Koumas has no chance of getting on the pitch, but with injuries to Ekitike and Chiesa, former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has given the 20-year-old an opportunity to prove himself at Anfield, and the Spaniard has been duly rewarded.

Koumas has made four appearances for the Reds this season already, including in the Premier League and Champions League, though his recent Man of the Match performance in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup has made people stand up and take notice.

Although he didn't contribute directly to a goal or an assist, his tenacity, determination, and work rate quickly gained him a lot of support throughout the Liverpool fanbase, much to the surprise of those at Birmingham and Stoke, who likely hadn't expected him to be in the plans at Anfield so quickly.

Birmingham City and Stoke City supporters must be surprised at Lewis Koumas' career trajectory

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Although Koumas appeared regularly for Stoke, his lack of contribution in the final third ultimately led to him being phased out of plans by Robins, and Davies had preferred numerous options ahead of the Welshman at Birmingham.

Nobody doubted his desire, but the opportunity to represent his boyhood club at the highest level is one that the forward is clearly looking to make the most of whilst he can.

Supporters at Birmingham and Stoke will likely be surprised after what they saw from the winger, who will be looking to earn as many minutes as possible in a highly competitive Liverpool attack this year.