I absolutely love stories like this.
Liverpool have had plenty of battles over young players in recent years, but the story of Joshua Abe is particularly interesting because of what the teenager apparently turned down to remain at Anfield.
According to Lewis Steele, some clubs were prepared to offer the 16-year-old winger almost £50,000 a week to leave Liverpool.
And these weren’t exactly unknown clubs.
Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid have all been linked with an interest in Abe, yet the youngster chose to remain with Liverpool.
For me, that says an awful lot.
Abe is still only 16, so we obviously have to be careful not to put ridiculous expectations on his shoulders. But there is clearly something about this young winger that has attracted serious attention.
Liverpool managed to convince him that his future was better served at Anfield than by chasing a huge contract elsewhere.
And I think the pathway Liverpool offered him was probably more important than the money.
That has already been demonstrated.
Abe was taken on Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States this summer and was given opportunities around the first team under Andoni Iraola. He even started against Wrexham, despite being just 16.
That is some statement of intent from Liverpool.
Imagine being 16 years old and being told that you could potentially earn close to £50,000 a week somewhere else, with some of the biggest clubs in England and Europe interested in you.
It would be incredibly difficult to turn down.
But Abe did.
He chose Liverpool.
And that is something Reds supporters should be really excited about.
Abe had already impressed at youth level before his first-team opportunities arrived. He scored eight goals and provided three assists in just 10 appearances for Liverpool’s Under-18s last season, despite playing above his age group.
There is clearly a lot of natural ability there.
He is a left-footed winger who likes to attack defenders, cut inside and get himself into goalscoring positions. Liverpool’s academy coaches have spoken very positively about his development, and the club clearly believe he has the potential to progress quickly.
Unfortunately, his progress has hit a temporary setback after he underwent surgery on a shoulder problem in August.
Liverpool expect him to be out for around three months, but the important thing is that he is still a Liverpool player and his long-term future remains at Anfield.
And that could prove to be extremely important.
We have seen Liverpool produce some fantastic young players over the years, but keeping hold of the best talent is becoming increasingly difficult when other clubs can throw enormous salaries at teenagers.
That is why this particular story makes me smile.
Abe could have taken the money. He chose the Liverpool pathway instead.
Of course, nobody knows yet whether he will eventually become a Liverpool first-team star. At 16, there is a huge amount of development still to come, and football can change very quickly.
But the ingredients are certainly there.
Liverpool have already shown with their decision to involve Abe in first-team preparations that they don’t simply see him as another academy player.
They see a young footballer worth investing in.
And if Abe continues developing the way Liverpool hope, the decision to stay at Anfield could eventually prove to be worth far more than £50,000 a week.
For now, though, I think Reds fans should just enjoy watching his journey.
Because when a 16-year-old has some of the biggest clubs in the world trying to take him away from Liverpool — and he decides that Anfield is where he wants to be — you can’t help but get excited about what might be coming next.
Keep an eye on Joshua Abe. I have a feeling we’re going to be hearing that name a lot more in the years ahead.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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