What Arne Slot has said about Liverpool's James McConnell as Derby County, Ipswich Town and West Brom chase deal | OneFootball

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has spoken highly of James McConnell, with the young midfielder attracting interest from West Brom, Derby and Ipswich.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has previously praised James McConnell, as they prepare to sanction a loan for the midfielder amid interest from Derby, Ipswich and West Brom.

The Reds have many highly-rated players coming through their academy, but it has understandably been difficult for these youngsters to get near the first-team given the quality in Slot’s ranks.

McConnell falls into that category, with the majority of the 20-year-old’s minutes having come for the U23 side last season.

Arne Slot has spoken highly of West Brom, Ipswich and Derby target James McConnell

However, he did get some chances with the first-team, which included playing the full 90 minutes as a makeshift Liverpool side lost 3-2 away to PSV in the Champions League after they had already sealed their qualification.

Whilst the team were beaten on the night, McConnell had a positive impact in the eyes of the manager, as Slot was quick to talk up the midfielder in his post-match press conference in Eindhoven.

“I like him a lot. He impressed me. If I was surprised, it would mean in training sessions he wouldn’t be able to play at this level, and that’s not true because he is competitive with the ones we have.

“So I’m not surprised, but you always wonder how they will react on this stage, at this level. We saw the same with Amara Nallo, but he does not have the same impact in training sessions as McConnell. The way James plays is not a surprise, but he definitely deserves credit for his performance today.”

Liverpool's James McConnell could flourish in the Championship

Even though Slot is a fan of McConnell, he isn’t going to play regularly under the Dutchman moving forward, which is no slight on the youngster, as there is simply a plethora of excellent midfield players at Anfield.

At present, he faces stiff competition from the likes of Stefan Bajcetic, Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott, Ryan Gravenbech, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister and Hungarian star Dominik Szoboszlai.

McConnell isn't going to be displacing those seasoned stars anytime soon, of course.

So, a loan move is ideal for his development, and it has been reported that Derby, Ipswich and West Brom are all tracking McConnell ahead of the new Championship season, although there is rival interest from Germany.

However, those three clubs should be doing all they can to bring him in, as McConnell has the ability to flourish in the second tier this season. The verdict of Slot, who guided Liverpool to the Premier League title during his debut campaign in the Anfield dugout, is certainly an encouraging endorsement and would suggest that any Championship side may just have a real talent on their hands by landing McConnell's services.

His aggression and intensity mean that he is ideally suited to the Championship, and it means he should have no problem adapting to the physicality of the games.

As well as that, as you would expect from someone who has been at Liverpool, he is also capable in possession, and he can drive forward with the ball.

Of course, there are areas of his game that need to improve, but there’s no doubt that McConnell has a lot of ability, and if any Championship club does win the race for his signature, it will be seen as a real coup.