When Billy Koumetio joined Austria Vienna on loan from Liverpool in the summer, you can imagine he expected to play a reasonably prominent role.
While it might have been his first loan switch away from Anfield, the Austrian outfit had still been chasing his signature for a year. Yet in truth, his stint has not quite gone to plan.
Making 11 appearances for the Viennese club, he has started seven times across all competitions but a late substitute appearance in a 4-0 Europa Conference League loss away at Hapoel Be'er Sheva on November 3 is one of just two outings, the other an OFB-Cup exit to Wiener SC, since the start of September.
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Rather than playing for the first team, the Frenchman found himself instead representing Vienna’s Young Violets side in the weeks before the World Cup break as he continued to get left out of manager Manfred Schmid’s matchday squad. As a result, reports understandably suggested Liverpool could look to terminate Koumetio ’s loan in January.
If that happened, it would be no surprise. After all, the Reds recalled both Leighton Clarkson and Rhys Williams last January when their temporary stints with Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City weren’t going to plan.
However, Koumetio’s lack of game time is nothing to do with his own performances, with domestic homegrown rules ultimately seemingly curtailing his progress, with Austrian clubs entitled to bonus payments from the Austrian Football Association (OFB) if they don't name more than six foreign players in their matchday squads.
“At the beginning of the season, I didn’t play also,” the defender admitted in an exclusive interview with the ECHO published only last week. “I had to improve and prove I was there and ready to play in any type of game. Cup games, European games or league games. I was preparing for that.
“At the same point, we changed the formation and we played a three in defence. This was when I was able to show what I can do. Even before this, in certain games we had some injuries or a red card so I had to come on and play.
“For example, the first game was Salzburg. Our captain had to go to the hospital because his girlfriend was having a baby. The next guy came in and then he got injured and then the next guy was me.
“I had the opportunity to show what I could do. I found some consistency at the beginning in these games, but then I came off at half-time in one game. We changed formation and we’ve not played this formation again.
“The coach told me it was not about how I played but it was the formation, they wanted to change to go back to two centre-backs and not three. I respect any decision that can help the team be better.
“But for sure, every day I’ve been doing everything I can in training and have been ready for any circumstances if the coach calls upon me to play.”
The 20-year-old is currently back training with his parent club during the World Cup break but is scheduled to return to Austria at the end of the month, despite reports suggesting his loan might be cancelled. With Vienna not back in competitive action until the middle of February due to the Austrian winter break, his return to Merseyside has nothing to do with his future.
Yet his future is perhaps currently in limbo after manager Schmid left Austria Vienna by mutual consent earlier this month.
“Unfortunately, in several analyses, we have found differences of opinion on essential sporting issues,” read an official club statement last week. “Against this background, talks with Manfred Schmid about a common sporting future and about a contract extension unfortunately failed today.
“Both parties then mutually agreed to go their separate ways in the future. In agreement with the supervisory board responsible for this at FK Austria Wien AG, it was agreed with Manfred Schmid that he would be released from his duties as coach of the fighting team effective today.
“FK Austria Wien AG has instructed the sporting management to start looking for a coach immediately.”
Following his departure, Schmid would say: "The management of Austria has decided to want to see a certain type of football in the future. That's absolutely fine, but I'm not the right coach for that because I don't stand behind it with full conviction.
"But since I don’t want to be a coach with an expiration date, it is best for all sides to terminate the contract immediately. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my players, the many fans, all the employees and those responsible at Austria Vienna. Together we have one and a half years of wonderful successes that I hardly thought possible."
But what does that mean for Koumetio? Austria Vienna’s search for a new manager is ongoing, and it remains to be seen if he would be used more prominently by Schmid’s successor. Meanwhile, it’s not necessarily clear what type of football club bosses want to see the first team play, and whether the Liverpool loanee fits into it.
Koumetio would explain to the ECHO that his decision to join Austria Vienna on loan came after conversations with the club and Jurgen Klopp, with all parties sharing the same vision for the defender and deeming it to be the perfect move.
“What made me convinced of this choice was the plan that they had and the plan that Liverpool had for me for this season,” Koumetio said. “And the plan I had for this season and the plan my agent had for this season. Everything was in place.
“Sometimes you can have a vision but the club might have a different view or a different vision. But it was clear the way they play, obviously it’s not the same players or the same level, but the same idea of playing in the way Liverpool want me to perform for this season and come back with new abilities and confirming some abilities I had and correcting some weaknesses in my game.
“I had the same vision. The three areas were aligned so for me it was a good loan and Liverpool were convinced 100% that it would be perfect for me.
“The gaffer said to me it would be perfect and the best choice. He actually said to me he would prefer this. Obviously I had a choice but at the end of the day, Liverpool can say yes or no, but the gaffer said it would be perfect for me so I took his big, big, big opinion, his big voice and his big vision.
“I respect him 100% and said thank you very much. It was perfect for me. I was happy, it’s a long season with a lot of games.”
Whether this vision remains the same under a new Vienna manager remains to be seen, with Koumetio’s short-term future currently up in the air as a result, as he continues to train back at the AXA Training Centre ahead of returning to Austria in the weeks ahead.
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