Liverpool ace stars v Cristiano Ronaldo - Birmingham City and Stoke will wince | OneFootball

Lewis Koumas impressed on the same pitch as one of the world's all-time greats last week

The EFL is currently taking a backseat in the footballing calendar, with club action pausing for three weeks as a result of the first international break of the 2026/27 season.

As a result, many Championship stars are either continuing to perform for their national sides whilst others rest and recuperate ahead of a return to action on October's second weekend, whilst a select number of matches in League One and League Two have also been impacted by numerous international call-ups.

Following on from the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup this summer, many of the world's greatest names and nations are featuring in the UEFA Nations League, which was first incorporated into the footballing calendar in 2018.

England, who boast several players whose individual development has certainly been enhanced by spells in the second, third and fourth tiers of the pyramid, are in Group A3 alongside world champions Spain, Czechia and Croatia, whilst Wales are in Group A4 with Portugal, Norway and Denmark.

The Red Dragons still have plenty of names within their ranks with prior or current EFL experience, although Birmingham City and Stoke City supporters may not believe their eyes when it comes to recent reviews of one player.

Lewis Koumas failed to pull up many trees at Stoke City and Birmingham City

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Koumas, 21, is still very much in the infancy of his career, but in the eyes of those at the Bet365 Stadium or St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, didn't pull up many trees whilst on loan from Liverpool.

It was the Potters who gave the attacker his first exposure to regular first-team minutes after a handful of appearances in Jürgen Klopp's final months at Anfield, but even after a return of six goals and three assists across 49 matches in all competitions, fans weren't exactly blown away by such a return or his overall performance levels.

The same applied in the Second City, even though Birmingham initially fended off competition from Sheffield United and Hull City for Koumas' services.

In just 25 appearances, the forward scored just once in a 3-2 win over Coventry City on January 4th, which was a strike he "needed" in the eyes of Chris Davies, before he was eventually recalled ahead of Birmingham opting to loan in Ibrahim Osman from Brighton in the second half of the campaign.

Lewis Koumas' Championship struggles continued despite Hull City's promotion

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The Chester-born man was then eventually drafted in by Sergej Jakirovic at the MKM Stadium, and despite netting three crucial goals for the Tigers, his struggles in the Championship continued.

Neither Koumas or current West Bromwich Albion man, Toby Collyer, were fully able to showcase why their services were required by the Bosnian as Hull's form initially tailed off before their dramatic play-off exploits, during which they defeated Millwall and Middlesbrough in the semi-finals and final respectively.

Overall, Koumas racked up just 1,365 minutes of league action last season, which makes his current trajectory all the more remarkable.

Lewis Koumas' upward trajectory with Liverpool hailed amid starring Wales role

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In the summer, Koumas netted his first international goal against Ghana at the Cardiff City Stadium, but his immediate future at Anfield was certainly up for debate, especially after the arrival of Andoni Iraola from AFC Bournemouth.

However, the Spaniard, who is a key influence behind Alex Scott's rise into the England setup, has started to work his magic with the Reds man, handing him 281 pre-season minutes - a number only bettered by six Merseyside teammates.

Koumas has since featured sporadically in all-but two of Liverpool's games in the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and EFL Cup this season, and his confidence was there for all to see, even in defeat, for Wales against Portugal last week, with the opponents still utilising Cristiano Ronaldo in their own attack aged 41.

Post-match, Craig Bellamy said of his performance: "I thought he was outstanding and I'm thinking, 'he belongs here'," before stating that there is a clear reason why Iraola retained his services.

Nottingham Forest ace, Neco Williams, also added: "What I see with him is he's improving all the time. He's a workhorse, he doesn't stop working, and they're the type of players you want in your team."

Birmingham City and Stoke City fans will be scratching their heads over Lewis Koumas exploits

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It is clear that Iraola and Bellamy are operating in ways which get the best out of Koumas, who, if short of such talent, wouldn't have been on Liverpool's books, even at academy level, for so long.

However, not many players in recent times have found it hard to make an impact at loan clubs in a lower division before significantly impressing in one of the country's most pressurised environments.