Lewis Koumas emerges as Liverpool breakout star ahead of Wales Nations League opener
From Anfield favourite to Wales hope
Contagious, confident – the rise of Lewis Koumas is gathering pace. The 21-year-old has made five Liverpool appearances this season and has already shown new Liverpool boss Arne Slot what he can offer after less than a week of pre-season.
Over the next fortnight the attacking prospect who is fast becoming an Anfield favourite will try to prove what several people in Welsh football have long suspected – that he can make a big impact on the international stage.
"I feel he's going to be a really important player for us for a number of years," Wales boss Craig Bellamy said ahead of Nations League games with Portugal, Denmark and Norway that will see Koumas share an international stage with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland.
A name with history
Wales and Liverpool legend Ian Rush is among a growing number impressed by Koumas' potential, a potential that despite his recent rise has been obvious for years.
The surname alone brings excitement given the talents of Lewis' father, former Wales international Jason Koumas.
"Jason was a talented, talented player," says Danny Gabbidon, who played alongside the older Koumas for Wales. "He could do a bit of everything; technically amazing, he could look after the ball, pass, score fantastic goals. He could just make things happen."
The phrase mercurial midfielder never felt more fitting than for Koumas senior, who won 34 caps and scored 10 goals for Wales but could delight and frustrate in equal measure. Yet it seems Lewis has some of the qualities his father may have lacked.
"You wouldn't have seen Jason running around like Lewis the other night [for Liverpool against Tottenham]," says Gabbidon. "I kept a close eye on him because I've felt his best position is a striker and I've been keen to see him down the middle. To get the chance at a club like Liverpool shows what the manager thinks of him. But it's not just his talent, it's the appetite."
Coach's dream
The younger Koumas' attitude has been noted for some time. Former Liverpool Under-21 head coach Barry Lewtas describes him as "a coach's dream".
"The effort, the will to learn and develop, how he applies himself, it's all there," Lewtas says.
A Liverpool supporter from birth, Koumas has been with the Reds since primary school age, following in the footsteps of his father, who was once a nine-year-old team-mate of Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen. While Jason moved on to Tranmere without making the breakthrough at Liverpool, Lewis has flourished with the Premier League giants, especially since being pushed from midfield into a forward role at the age of 16.
By 2024, Jurgen Klopp gave Koumas his senior debut. He scored in the FA Cup against Southampton in February 2024 and was then an unused substitute as Liverpool beat Chelsea to win the League Cup at Wembley. There were more than 900 days before his next first-team appearance, with three loan spells in the Championship in between.
At Stoke City, Koumas played under three different managers in a single season but earned roles under all three during a spell credited for boosting his belief. He played 25 times for Birmingham City in the first half last season before moving on to Hull City and playing an important role in the Tigers' promotion via the play-offs.
Koumas returned to Liverpool in the summer with renewed confidence. The assumption was that another loan spell beckoned, but Slot put a stop to such thoughts a week into pre-season in the United States. A Premier League debut followed, as did a first Champions League appearance, plus a relentless man-of-the-match performance against Tottenham that enamoured him to the Anfield crowd.
"He's really matured since making his debut," says Theo Squires, senior football writer at the Liverpool Echo. "Back then he was just a boy who had caught the eye at academy level as a versatile forward with a keen eye for goal. He looks almost unrecognisable physically. Leading the line against Tottenham, he more than held his own and he was a constant nuisance with his pace and never-say-die pressing."
Koumas' energy was described by Slot as being contagious for the rest of the Liverpool squad, £100m-plus signings included.
International ambition
Lewis Koumas has scored once in 12 Wales appearances. Wales Under-21 head coach Matty Jones has spoken of regular meetings with Koumas to ensure there was no chance of England nabbing the Wirral-born Welshman. One ended with Koumas telling Jones: "I'll win you games".
A match-winning, curling finish on his international under-21 debut in 2025 backed up the quiet self-assurance.
"He's been there in every squad I've announced but I felt in the summer, he turned," says Bellamy. "When he came on against Ghana, he changed it completely – and he's a player who's capable of that. He's just coming into his own now and kicking on again."
Wales begin their Nations League campaign against Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday, 24 September.