Liverpool have made more than £230m from selling young talent since 2020, and the club are now looking further afield to find their next generation of stars. That is the picture painted by a report titled Inside Liverpool’s increasing global investment in youth, which charts how the club’s scouting operation has expanded beyond Europe in recent years.
The report focuses on the work of Matt Newberry, who leads Liverpool’s global talent department. Since Brexit, there is a ‘premium’ on young English players, meaning clubs need to look further afield for talent. Newberry’s team decides which young talents from overseas should be targeted, using contacts across the world, including dedicated regional scouts.
The Brexit Factor
Prior to Brexit, teams in England’s top league were able to bring in players from European nations aged 18 and above. Today, that option no longer exists. Under Fifa’s regulations, a player must be over 18 before an international transfer can take place. This shift has altered how clubs such as Liverpool go about their business.
“Any player we sign, the first intention is that we want them to play in the first team and there’s a belief that there’s a chance for everyone that signs here,” Alex Inglethorpe, Liverpool Academy director, told BBC Sport. “So it’s fairly natural for a club like Liverpool to look within Merseyside in the first instance then broaden that out – national recruitment happens at 14 and after that you look globally, which is what we’ve done.”
Since 2020, Liverpool have generated more than £230m from the sale of players who came through their youth ranks. Fenway Sports Group, which owns the club, has built this revenue stream into a central feature of its self-sustaining business model, with profits then put back into the club.
Ndiaye’s Story From Senegal
The report singles out Mor Talla Ndiaye as a standout signing, and his path took him from the Senegalese village of Sandiara, where he first kicked a ball in the streets, to Bousports Academy in Thiadiaye, and then on to Amitie Football Club in Thies.
This past January, Liverpool turned away attention from other European clubs and secured the signature of the 18-year-old for roughly £1m plus additional payments. The club’s observers had noticed his play during the U17 World Cup in Qatar last winter, setting up a series of video calls prior to sending representatives to Senegal.
They went there and saw where Ndiaye had trained, spoke with those who had helped him along the way, and put their plan before him personally. To better grasp his surroundings and the path that brought him there, a round-table session was arranged with his family.
“He’s an incredible story, isn’t he? From where he’s come from to where he is – and he’s such a humble kid. He’s an unbelievable lad to work with,” Rob Page, Liverpool’s U21 boss, told BBC Sport. “There’s exciting times ahead but he’s got a lot of work to do. He’s nowhere near the finished article but he’s on the right path. His attitude is spot on and he’s at the club that will definitely help him develop.”
A left-footed centre-half who served as an unused substitute across three matches during the second half of last season under Arne Slot, Ndiaye also featured for Liverpool in pre-season play under Andoni Iraola.
The Global Hunt Continues
Another centre-half signed through Liverpool’s global scouting network is Ifeanyi Ndukwe. After the U17 World Cup, Liverpool made a £2.6m move for him. The 18-year-old Austrian has since gone on loan to Levante in La Liga while he works toward obtaining a UK work permit.
The report also mentions Samuel Martinez, the 17-year-old Colombian midfielder, who will join next summer. According to his father, he had “30 offers from around the world, external.” The move shows Liverpool’s willingness to spread beyond Europe and into areas they may not have explored before.
The transfer did not go smoothly for everyone involved. Arsenal beat Liverpool to the signature of Andria Bartishvili from Georgia last month. The 17-year-old will arrive at the club next summer, by which time he will be 18.
Building Relationships
The report details how Liverpool build relationships with players’ families and academies. The club opened discussions with Ndiaye’s academy and his agency, Sport Cover, after scouts spotted his performances at the U17 World Cup.
After representatives made the trip to Senegal, they went to see where he trained and spoke with those who had backed his development. The club gained insight into his world through a round-table meeting with his family, which showed the setting in which he was raised.
Ndiaye picked Liverpool because their route was the most direct. What set the club apart was how they went about getting to know him.
Settling Into Merseyside
Since arriving, Ndiaye has settled in with a host family, which is normal when players aren’t from the area. Players come from different backgrounds, and when someone arrives and doesn’t speak much English at the start, you have to help with that and help understand cultural differences in food, weather and the pitches they play on.
“There’s a lot of understanding in terms of the level of support that’s needed and the most important thing you can give a young player is the time,” Inglethorpe said. “I’m delighted that Mor made such a strong impression and he’s done as well as he has, but we hope that he’s going to get better and better as he continues to adapt.”
The Path Forward
Liverpool’s global scouting operation is increasingly aggressive. Newberry’s team uses its wealth of contacts across the world, including dedicated regional scouts, to target young talents from overseas.
The report points out that Julian Ward, the new sporting director, carries a well-known global network. That link provides the club with extra scope when it comes to finding possible signings.
| Player | Nationality | Position | Age at signing | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ndiaye | Senegal | Centre-half | 18 | £1m + add-ons |
| Ndukwe | Austria | Centre-half | 18 | £2.6m |
| Martinez | Colombia | Midfielder | 17 | Not stated |
The report also notes that Liverpool use access to certain talent based on points accrued from playing homegrown players. They had a couple of ESC (elite significant contribution) spots to explore the wider market, something that was “fairly normal” even prior to Brexit.
No confirmation from Liverpool is stated in the report regarding any moves this summer. The excerpt breaks off mid-sentence.
What This Means For Liverpool
Since 2020, Liverpool have generated more than £230m from selling young players. The report points out that the club brought in three signings worth more than £100m each during the last two summer windows, naming Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola among them.
A great deal of young talent was sold last summer, which means the club now needs to rebuild its talent pool. The global scouting operation exists to find players such as Ndiaye who provide a clear path to the first team, thus helping to refill what was lost.
If Ndiaye makes it to the top, the club believe his story could become one of the great football stories. That hope shaped how they approached him and his family.
The document shows a club that is ready to put in time, money and effort for players from around the world. The arrivals of Ndiaye, Ndukwe and Martinez prove the breadth of their strategy.
Liverpool must ensure that the route they provide proves as effective as advertised. Ndiaye has impressed in pre-season and as an unused substitute last season, yet his development remains at an early stage.
There is no doubt about what the club thinks of him. The evidence will be found when the match begins.
The tale of Mor Talla Ndiaye’s journey from Senegal to Anfield serves as a testament to how football still operates through motion, drive and possibility. Liverpool discovered a player with an exceptional history, and they extended an opportunity to him. What happens next rests entirely on his own shoulders.
See the video the story is built around at the BBC.
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