“The Interesting One…” – Paul Gorst On Liverpool Duo; Arne Slot Was ‘Adamant’ About Ace | OneFootball

By James Cranford

With the first phase of the new-look Champions League now concluded, Liverpool can look forward to a last-16 tie in March after finishing top of the table.

On the final gameweek of the opening phase of the competition, a much-changed Reds side went down 3-2 away at PSV. Despite the defeat, Arne Slot was grateful for the opportunity to rest key players ahead of some tough upcoming fixtures. There were several other positives to take from the game, such as Federico Chiesa completing 90 minutes for the first time since Italy’s Euros defeat to Switzerland last June.

One man who caught the eye in Eindhoven was midfielder James McConnell. The 20-year-old looked composed throughout and drew praise from his head coach. Slot also said that he intends to keep McConnell at Anfield to continue his development alongside the first team.

Another 20-year-old to have previously impressed in the Liverpool midfield is Stefan Bajcetic. The Spain U21 international has had a tough time since breaking into Jürgen Klopp’s team two years ago. His season-long loan with RB Salzburg was cancelled earlier this week, and Bajcetic will now try to rediscover his form at La Liga side Las Palmas.

Have injuries already stunted the progression of one of the standout players of the 22/23 season? Or will six months in the Canary Islands be just the tonic the young man needs to try and get himself back into contention in a red shirt?

On the latest episode of our Journo Insight show, the Liverpool Echo’s LFC correspondent Paul Gorst gave his thoughts on Stefan Bajcetic and James McConnell.

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Paul said:

[On Bajcetic]

“One of the driving forces for him to move to Salzburg to begin with was Pep Ljinders. No surprise, really, that since Ljinders has been moved on that he might be agitating for a move himself.

“I remember speaking to Slot on transfer deadline day and he was adamant that this is a player who is a Liverpool player for the long haul, for the long term.

“Maybe there was a school of thought that suggests: ‘Stick it out, dig in, your manager’s left – this is what happens in top-level football.’ You can’t always be under the bosom of the coaches who love you.

“I seem to remember Slot being very effusive in what the very specific plan was for him and how much he rated him as a footballer and stuff like that, so, you’d think that that idea hasn’t changed really.”

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[On McConnell]

“I didn’t have James McConnell down as someone who Slot would take a look at and think, ‘This lad could do a job here or there.’ Does he see him now as someone who can? [As] someone who’s got a higher ceiling than Endo, really? The only way he reaches that is by playing ahead of him in certain games.

“I think that’s going to be the interesting one to see if he’s on the benches now for Premier League games. Does he come on and get 15-20 minutes in games Liverpool are winning, as opposed to Endo?

“I was surprised by how adamant he [Slot] was that one player who’s not going anywhere is James McConnell. We’ll see how he develops.”

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Redmen Reacts

With more experienced players such as Harvey Elliott struggling for game time under Arne Slot, it is difficult to see how James McConnell can break into the side, especially given the gravity of the fixtures remaining between now and the end of the season. However, with Slot reluctance to use Wataru Endo due to his perceived weakness on the ball, McConnell’s passing range and composure could be more in line with what the boss is looking for from a midfielder. The 20-year-old has never appeared overawed in his brief Liverpool career, including his 33-minute cameo in last season’s EFL Cup final. Watch this space.

Stefan Bajcetic has had a terrible 24 months since bursting onto the scene at the age of 18. Injuries and lack of form have set his development back. His loan to RB Salzburg was a difficult one, with the Austrian side dispensing with Pep Ljinders in December. Hopefully, his temporary switch to Las Palmas can rejuvenate his career. His technical ability should see him get valuable La Liga minutes.