Derby County And West Brom Alive To PL Club’s Talent | OneFootball

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Newcastle-born midfield talent McConnell spent time in Sunderland’s academy, and back in 2019, he left the Black Cats’ youth system.

Liverpool picked him up from Sunderland and he made his senior Reds debut two years ago, in 2023, in the Europa League against Toulouse.

McConnell has 13 senior appearances for the Anfield outfit under his belt, mostly featuring in the cup competitions, and was subject to interest from multiple Championship clubs in the summer window.

The likes of Derby, West Brom and Hull City were keen on him, but Ajax appointed John Heitinga as their new boss, and he was loaned out to the Dutch giants to reunite with the former Liverpool assistant.

However, his time in Amsterdam has not gone smoothly, as at first Wesley Sneijder pointed out that the 21-year-old was blocking the progress path for the highly rated Jorthy Mokio.

One Dutch journalist then questioned Ajax’s decision to loan in McConnell, dubbing the move ‘madness’.

And now it has been suggested that the England Under-20 international could be on his way back to Anfield mid-season, cutting his loan spell short.

He has just a little more than 200 minutes of game time under his belt at Ajax, who do not consider McConnell as a key part of their future plans.

However, the midfield talent has no shortage of suitors in England, as Derby and West Brom still hold their interest in the Reds talent.

They are not the only second division clubs who are keen on the 21-year-old, as Swansea City and Oxford United are also showing interest.

Derby are the only club who are close to the playoff spots, as the Rams are currently four points below sixth-placed Bristol City.

The Rams are set to sign Borussia Monchengladbach’s Oscar Fraulo in the January window, as they have an agreement in place with the German outfit.

Now it remains to be seen where McConnell ends up in the second half of the transfer window, if and when he returns to Anfield.

Derby already have one player on loan from Liverpool in the shape of left-back Owen Beck and the Reds might be open to letting McConnell link up with him.