Exclusive: “Special Time!” – Brad Smith On ‘Dream’ Liverpool Career Highlight, Jurgen Klopp & More | OneFootball

In recent years, Liverpool have made a habit of dealing with Bournemouth, with several players heading in both directions and most recently Andoni Iraola as the Reds’ new managerial appointment.

Back in 2016, Brad Smith completed his move to the Cherries on the 27th of July, making him the 4th player to ever move between the two clubs. Smith’s transfer to the South Coast was worth £3 million, moving just thirteen days after Jordon Ibe completed the same move.

Despite never establishing himself as a regular at Anfield, Smith achieved 11 appearances for the club, scoring once and contributing two assists. The majority of his appearances came under Jurgen Klopp, who included him in ten matches, including his final appearance against West Brom during a 1-1 draw in May 2016.

Now back in Australia, Smith spoke to Dan about his Liverpool journey, career and life after the Reds for an exclusive interview…

On coming through the Academy

Born in Sydney, Brad Smith moved to Liverpool at the age of 14, where he would move up the youth set-up. The former Liverpool defender reminisced about how willing his parents were to support the development of his talent. His family funded their move across the world by selling their home and business. Unknowingly, this sacrifice led to many Premier League teams, including Liverpool, scouting him whilst he was playing for TFI who toured across Europe. Brad acknowledged that he “didn’t think he was able to do it” if it wasn’t for the support from his family.

When considering which side to sign for, Smith described the opportunity to sign for the Reds as”everyone’s dream to be a part of that.” The full-back also recognised the Australian ties with the club, players such as Harry Kewell and Dean Bouzanis but ultimately his view that Liverpool was the “biggest club in the world” swayed him.

Whilst developing at the Academy, Smith characterised the coaches Michael Beale and Alex Inglethorpe as “great managers” and “great people to have around the place.”

Brad’s first involvement with the senior squad was during the North American tours back in 2012, an experience as a teenager he calls it as “great exposure for kids to feel at home with these superstars.” He also named these pre-season tours as “the beginning of careers” for some of the kids.

Receiving his first call-up to train at Melwood remains one of Smith’s strongest memories. He described the experience as “special”, praising senior players such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher for making young academy players feel “so comfortable” amongst the other seniors. During the new wave of senior players, Smith called the standards “high” because of the influence from players like Milner, who he dubbed a “special player”.

In addition to the influence from leaders in the squad, the Australian admitted that advice from fellow left-backs Jose Enrique and Alberto Moreno, whom he named both “top people” who always tried to “teach him little things”, helped him on his journey. The Australian recognised that this welcoming attitude is not synonymous with every football club, as the two were essentially “training someone to take their job”.

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The importance of the Academy

Brad described being a local lad as a “different” experience going through the Academy whilst also stressing the well-managed manner the club approaches the kids with. He states that the club reliably “gives kids a chance” but also “moves them on at the right time”. The defender related this approach to himself and Jordon Ibe, who were both sold to Bournemouth, saying the club knows when it is the “best time” for players to move on.

On making his LFC debut

Brad made his debut for Liverpool coming on from the bench against Chelsea for just over half an hour. Brad was unable to alter the scoreline as it would end 2-1. Looking back on this experience, Smith believed that he was “not ready to play that game” and, upon reflecting on the day, he said that “you could see it”. The Australian international believed that Brendan Rodgers could have managed the situation differently, stating that it is “difficult for any kid to be thrown in like that” and expressed that “personally it was not the right place to do it”. Despite all this, Smith was still “thrilled and privileged to be on the field”, but wished the Northern Irishman could have opted for an approach similar to Klopp to ease him in with “cup competitions”. Prior to his debut, Brad had spent ten months sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. This would be the player’s last appearance under Rodgers, as he would be sent out on loan to Swindon, where he would play ten times before returning for the start of the new season.

On Jurgen Klopp

Prior to Jurgen’s arrival at the club, it appeared as if Brad would part ways with the Reds as a result of a contract dispute, but the arrival of the German changed his fate. A contract was agreed, and within a couple of weeks, the defender was training with the first team.

When working with Klopp, Smith credited the German’s man-management skills as the biggest reason behind his success, naming him “the best there is” at it. The former Liverpool manager was “a really good human”, he said, who was able to create an environment that made young players feel “so comfortable” from the moment they entered the first-team dressing room. Smith also hinted at Klopp’s cut-throat approach towards certain characters like Balotelli, who he recalled as a “different” personality to others who wouldn’t be able to “fit his style”.

Brad would go on to make his full debut under Klopp as well as achieving his first goal and two assists at the club against Exeter and Southampton respectively in the FA Cup and the League Cup. During his full debut against FC Sion in the Europa League, Smith mirrored the ideal situation to his first team debut against Chelsea, calling Klopp’s approach “the way to do it”.

When playing against Southampton, the Australian would go on to assist Divock Origi with an incredible cross, the game ending 6-1 following his introduction at 5-0.

Smith’s only goal for the Reds came against Exeter City in the FA Cup. This goal forced a replay which Liverpool would go on to ultimately win. Brad described this moment as “the highlight of his career for his dream club”.

The second leg would result in Brad’s Anfield debut, an occasion “in front of the best fans in the world”. He also named You’ll Never Walk Alone as “indescribable”, something which just “gives you goosebumps” as it rings around the ground. During the match, the left-back would assist Joe Allen to help the side progress through the cup competition.

Upon reflecting on his time with Liverpool, Smith called it a “special time” as he was able to grow up “through the Academy”, giving him a “different experience” compared to someone who would be signed.

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Time away from the club

Before leaving to complete his move to the South Coast, Smith described Klopp’s “brilliant” manner with him, which set him off to the Vitality. In his one and a half years at the Cherries, the left-back made eleven appearances, a number which Brad felt was unfair, stating that he felt he never got the “opportunities that he deserved.” From there, Smith would move to the MLS on a season-long loan in August 2018 before signing permanently in 2020 after the expiration of his contract.

Smith admitted that initially, the move to America made him “hesitant” but he decided to prioritise “gaining experience”. At Seattle Sounders, he won the MLS Cup in 2019 in front of 70,000 people, fans who he named “the best fanbase in the league.”

However, his brief spell on loan in the Championship was not as successful. Smith confessed that the division’s direct style of football simply “wasn’t for me”, prompting a return to Seattle.

Brad described the rapid development regarding the standard of football in the States as “exponential” when compared to the start of his time there to the conclusion of his time in America when he left FC Cincinnati as a free agent. However, Smith thought that the investment of money into the league could lead towards “weeding out the American kids”. Internationally, Smith has made 23 caps for Australia, his first cap coming while at Liverpool.