Liverpool academy 'only 300 metres from first team but a 10-year journey' as Iraola embraces Kirkby
Kirkby's long game
One of the first things you notice in Alex Inglethorpe's office at Liverpool's AXA Training Centre is a framed image gifted by Trent Alexander-Arnold — a picture from 2019 of the academy director and player watching a game together.
Alexander-Arnold left for a new challenge at Real Madrid last year, after 20 years on Merseyside, but his story is one of inspiration for everyone that enters Liverpool's academy. He joined as a six-year-old in 2004 and went on to win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup with Liverpool.
"The ideal for any academy, and certainly for us, is wanting young players - and hopefully they're local players - to improve the first team and in doing so, they come and win trophies," says Inglethorpe. "At Liverpool the bar is high, so to have a player capable of winning everything that you could possibly win is a dream."
Iraola's first-week immersion
Inglethorpe and his team oversee the development of younger players and ensure there is alignment between the academy and the first team. One of the phrases used is "the first team pitch is only 300 metres away from the academy building in Kirkby, but the journey might take 10 years to get there".
Under new boss Andoni Iraola, players like Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas and James McConnell, who have spent time at the academy, have all featured this season.
"We were fortunate because of how the calendar worked, with players still at the World Cup and a delayed return. Andoni and his staff spent a lot of his first week here watching the academy," says Inglethorpe. "So we felt ahead, in terms of building a relationship from the outset."
The 'Kids Cup' and a £20m future
Just before the academy players go on the pitch, there is a sign that says: "Don't look sideways" - referring to where the first team train. On another wall in Inglethorpe's office is a magnetic board with headshots of every player in the academy on the left and the first team squad on the right. Ultimately, the motive is for everyone to make the journey across the board.
There is one standout moment. The 'Kids Cup', when Liverpool beat Chelsea in the 2024 Carabao Cup final. Faced with an injury crisis, Jurgen Klopp relied heavily on academy players and his side finished the match with a team whose average age was under 22. Klopp called it his "most special trophy".
"It's definitely a moment in time. The longer the game went on, Jurgen was taking off the seniors and putting another one of the boys on. It was an incredible show of belief," says Inglethorpe.
With a £20m revamp to the academy facility planned to be completed by 2028, the determination to carry on producing first team players is stronger than ever. Next month will mark 14 years at Liverpool for Inglethorpe.
"Anyone would want to take something on and leave it in a better place, and I think we've done that," he says. "Ultimately we have had players in the first team winning major trophies and we're fortunate to be part of that era."
"There are exciting times ahead with the potential for the other end, and I'm really excited for the future," says Inglethorpe. "In Julian Ward [the new sporting director], we have someone who is hugely invested in the academy and has been on this journey for a long time."