Joe Gomez will need to buck recent 'young LFC centre back' trend

 

The 18 year old England youth defender has attracted the attention of a number of clubs with his displays for the Addicks but it’s the Reds who have stolen a march on the rest by agreeing a deal with the Londoners. The fee could rise to as much as £6m after various add ons. 

 

It’s been suggested that he may be loaned back to Charlton next season but will first take part in Liverpool’s pre-season before a final decision is made. Gomez played 24 games for the Championship side last season and is equally at home in the centre or on the right of the defence. 

 

He is regarded as one of the top prospects in the country but Anfield has been something of a graveyard for “centre backs of the future” in recent times. Carl Medjani, Gabriel Paletta, Mikel San Jose, Sebastian Coates, Danny Wilson and Tiago Ilori all arrived with big reputations and high hopes, but teams hoping to compete for honours usually go with experience in the middle of the defence and it can be nigh on impossible for youngsters to get the game time needed to develop. Some eventually move elsewhere and become good players, others fall by the wayside.

 

Being able to play right back help could help Gomez as it’s easier to give young players an opportunity to cut their teeth at full back before eventually moving into the middle when they have sufficient experience, but that’s what they said about Andre Wisdom too and that doesn’t look like happening any time soon. 

 

The Reds have had some recent success buying youth from down south though. Jonjo Shelvey was also snapped up from Charlton and made 69 appearances for the first team before being sold to Swansea for twice what he cost, while Raheem Sterling - despite his former club QPR being entitled to 20% of any fee - will make the club a small fortune if and when he leaves this summer. Jordon Ibe, recruited from Wycombe Wonderers as a 15 year old, looks to have a very bright future and former MK Dons teenager Sheyi Ojo might be the next one to come through. It's much easier to blood young midfielders and wide players than it is central defenders however.

 

Hopefully Gomez can be the one to buck this recent trend with young central defenders, but not few if any youngsters have come through to establish themselves at any of the top clubs in recent years, so the odds do not appear to be in his favour.