What could prevent West Brom or Derby County sealing Liverpool transfer | OneFootball

James McConnell will not be allowed to join West Brom or Derby County if he plays for Liverpool on his return from a loan spell from Ajax.

Liverpool could end any chance of a Championship club signing James McConnell in the January transfer window if he plays for them in the FA Cup in January.

The 21-year-old is highly-rated at Anfield, and he actually featured for ArnE Slot’s side on occasions last season.

However, he was always going to struggle to get first-team football, so it was decided in the summer that he would go out on loan, with Ajax ultimately winning the race to sign the midfielder on a season-long loan.

James McConnell could be denied West Brom or Derby move by Liverpool decision

Unfortunately for McConnell, his time in Amsterdam hasn’t gone to plan.

Firstly, John Heitinga, who he knew from his time at Liverpool, lost his job earlier in the campaign, and injuries have also hindered the youngster, who has made just four Eredivisie appearances.

Therefore, he is set to return to Liverpool in the New Year, and reports have already claimed that McConnell could be on the move again, as West Brom, Derby, Swansea and Oxford have all been credited with an interest in the player.

But, the situation is complicated by the fact that McConnell won’t be allowed to leave if he does represent the Reds on his return to the club in January.

That’s because the rules state you can’t play for more than two clubs in Europe within the same season, and with McConnell having already featured for Ajax, journalist Lewis Steele explained how any outing for Liverpool would block another switch.

Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue, but the FA Cup tie against Barnsley is a chance for Slot to rotate his team, and McConnell would usually expect to play in a game like that — as he did against Plymouth last season.

James McConnell needs regular game time in the Championship

Obviously, Liverpool will be aware of McConnell’s situation, and you would hope that common sense would prevail in the sense that they do what’s best for his career.

Clearly, he is at a stage where he needs to be playing on a regular basis, and that’s not going to come at Anfield when you look at the calibre of player that Slot has in his squad.

So, a move to the Championship would make a lot of sense, and it would give McConnell a platform to show why he was seen as a top talent a year or two ago.

His time with Ajax didn’t go to plan, but staying in England and playing in a competitive league like the Championship could be exactly what he needs.