It is well-documented that Liverpool will have one eye on the ongoing Under-21s European Championships, with a number of their reported transfer targets currently competing in Romania and Georgia.
Having already signed Alexis Mac Allister, the Reds are expected to sign another one, if not two, midfielders this summer as part of an engine-room revamp. France Under-21s pair Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone, the Netherlands’ Ryan Gravenberch, and Spain’s Gabri Veiga are just four of the names believed to be on Liverpool’s shortlist.
Meanwhile, with a left-sided centre-back also on the Reds’ transfer wishlist, they continue to be linked with Dutch defender Micky van de Ven, while Chelsea defender Levi Colwill has his admirers at Anfield.
If Liverpool were to move for any of the aforementioned names, they would ultimately have to wait for their international exploits to be over to complete a deal. Meanwhile, any would-be signings involved in the tournament would not report back for pre-season until the second half of July. As a result, the Reds are having to be patient as they continue to way up their transfer options.
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Yet for all the talk about who could become Jurgen Klopp’s second midfield signing of the summer, there is one player taking part in the tournament who is arguably outshining all of Liverpool’s reported targets. He is also a player who wouldn’t cost the Reds a penny if they wished to make him a central part of their engine-room this season.
Curtis Jones was a standout performer for Liverpool during the final two months of last season, finally overcoming the injury problems that had plagued his previous two campaigns to cement his place in Klopp’s starting XI.
An ever-present during the Reds’ 11-game unbeaten run as they finished the season in fifth, he would return three goals and an assist following Liverpool’s change of formation. Utilising an inverted full-back set-up, with Trent Alexander-Arnold pushing forward into central midfield when Klopp’s men are on the ball, they lined up with a box midfield in a 3-2-2-3 formation, with Jones flourishing as the advanced midfielder on the left.
Despite such an upturn in fortunes, Kopites would perhaps not expect the 22-year-old to retain starting status come the start of the 2023/24 season once their midfield revamp is complete. But despite the expected new arrivals, Jones insisted he wasn’t phased by the fresh competition for places that awaited him earlier this year.
"I couldn't care, no. You know I am a confident lad and I have the backing of the staff,” he said of the heightened transfer speculation surrounding Anfield back in April. “If they turn around and say they think I need to leave or go out on loan then you know there are options there that I already know of anyway.
"So it's not something that we have spoken about at the club and it is not like they have said: 'Look, we're going to buy him, you might have to leave, you might have to do this or do that'. You might hear small things in the press but they just make up things to keep themselves around!
"But I've not heard anything, so I am here to play. Of course I [back myself]. Of course. It doesn't matter if I leave. I think I can show I am good enough to come back but we'll see. I am not worried."
The prospect of new signings will inevitably continue to set tongues wagging, with Steven Gerrard’s famous number eight jersey up for grabs if any incoming midfielder is bold enough.
Mac Allister has already turned it down, in favour of his preferred number 10, admitting the Liverpool legend did play a part in his thinking.
Speaking to The Mirror, he said: “One day, I was talking to my dad when he asked me what number I would wear for Liverpool. I knew there were several numbers available - including ten and eight. The number eight shirt is a very important number in that club because of Gerrard, so I hesitated a bit. I ended up choosing the ten, but eight is a number that I like a lot and has a history at the club.”
Very few will understand such history better than boyhood Red Jones. Having already followed in Gerrard’s footsteps by adorning 17, as Luis Diaz takes on seven with suggestions Darwin Nunez could inherit nine, who is to say that the midfielder isn’t a Liverpool number eight in waiting?
Jones will ultimately be playing catch-up back at Liverpool this summer courtesy of his international exploits, with the Reds due back for pre-season on July 8 - the same day as the Under-21s European Championships final. But at least he is thriving for England in the interim.
Prior to forcing his way back into Klopp’s starting XI in the spring, Jones made headlines after being used as a makeshift striker by England Under-21s manager Lee Carsley during the March international break. He registered a goal and assist off the bench in the role in a 4-0 win over France, who started Kone in midfield, before starting in the role in a friendly loss to Croatia.
Yet he’s reverted to more natural surroundings out in Georgia, lining up in a deeper midfield role in a 4-4-2 system as England won both their opening two games to reach the knockout stages with a game to spare. Completing 90 minutes against both Czech Republic and Israel, Jones helped the young Lions run out 2-0 winners in both games.
And against the latter, he excelled in particular. Registering a whopping 135 touches of the ball, comfortably more than any other player, he also completed 120 of his 124 attempted passes (97% pass accuracy) and all nine of his attempted long balls. Meanwhile, his total of three tackles was also more than any of his team-mates, as per Sofa Score.
He played a part in the build-up to both goals for Anthony Gordon and Emile Smith-Rowe, no doubt catching the eye of the watching England manager Gareth Southgate in the process, while one astonishing through-ball from the halfway wowed supporters as it went viral on social media.
Jones has always been a versatile player, thriving further forward at Academy level before breaking into the Liverpool first team. But in truth, he had not yet nailed down a specific role under Klopp prior to the final weeks of last season.
Yet the fact he is now catching the eye in a deeper role could make him even more valuable for the Reds, with the midfielder already comfortable in a number of positions in both of Liverpool’s favoured formations.
Given his injury woes over the past two seasons, Jones has been written off many times in the past. Critics would ultimately dismiss him as part of the Reds’ problem. Yet he has made a mockery of those claims, and, if he can now stay injury-free, looks set to continue to go from strength to strength.
Not phased by the new competition he will face at Anfield, on current form he should be a starter under Klopp. He has backed himself and is now doing his talking on the pitch.
While it is easy to overlook an Academy graduate already at the club, especially with the smell of big-money signings in the air, the 22-year-old has lived up to his late-season promise and is showing that he is more than good enough.
Make no mistake, while not the ‘glamour’ name the transfer-hungry hordes will be craving on social media, Jones is very much part of this Liverpool midfield revamp.
