When the European Under-21 Championship got underway on June 21, Liverpool eyes were looking on intently.
With the Reds in the midst of a long-awaited midfield revamp, their second summer signing was touted to be taking part in the tournament in Romania and Georgia. Having already signed Alexis Mac Allister, Khephren Thuram, Manu Kone, Ryan Gravenberch and Gabri Veiga were the shortlisted names of interest.
Yet two weeks later and Liverpool were in negotiations to sign Dominik Szoboszlai, snapping up the RB Leipzig midfielder against the clock after activating a £60m release clause in his contract. While the Reds have sporadically been linked with the Hungarian in the past, their sudden swoop for the playmaker caught many off-guard.
As Szoboszlai put pen to paper, interest in Thuram, Gravenberch and Veiga reportedly ended. Meanwhile, talk of a move for the more defensively-inclined Kone has also cooled since the Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder was left on crutches after France’s final group game against Switzerland.
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Only Liverpool bosses will be able to answer whether the European Under-21 Championship were deliberately used as a smokescreen of sorts before their move for Szoboszlai. The Reds had done their due diligence on the aforementioned quartet, of course, before ultimately deciding that the Hungarian was actually the man for them.
In truth, none of the quartet particularly shone at the tournament, not that performances in Romania and Georgia were ever going to be decisive to firming up or ending Liverpool interest. Thuram was criticised in his homeland for ineffectual displays as France suffered a shock quarter-final defeat to Ukraine, with Kone’s injury ensuring he could never build on a promising opening display.
Gravenberch was unable to inspire the Netherlands past the group stages despite his ever-present status, not missing a minute as they fought out stalemates with Belgium, Portugal and Georgia. And, while Spain will face England in the final on Saturday, Gabri Veiga has been limited to five substitute appearances, totalling 86 minutes.
As a result, for all the talk of Liverpool’s ‘next midfielder’ coming from the tournament, their aforementioned targets have all been outshone by two current Reds players who have helped carry England to the final.
While Harvey Elliott has been limited to substitute duty for the majority of the tournament, he still scored a spectacular individual goal on his only start against Germany. Boss Lee Carsley sprung the changes with the Young Lions’ place in the knockout-stages already secured with a group game left to play, and the Liverpool midfielder took full advantage of the opportunity as he ran half the length of the pitch before firing home from the edge of the box.
But Curtis Jones has been the real star for England Under-21s, building on his impressive end to last season after forcing his way into Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI. The 22-year-old was a standout performer for Liverpool during the final two months of last season, finally overcoming the injury problems that had plagued his previous two campaigns to cement his place.
An ever-present during the Reds’ 11-game unbeaten run as they finished the season in fifth, he would return three goals and an assist following Liverpool’s change of formation. Utilising an inverted full-back set-up, with Trent Alexander-Arnold pushing forward into central midfield when Klopp’s men are on the ball, they lined up with a box midfield in a 3-2-2-3 formation, with Jones flourishing as the advanced midfielder on the left.
Despite such an upturn in fortunes, Kopites would perhaps not expect the 22-year-old to retain starting status come the start of the 2023/24 season once their midfield revamp is complete, with both Mac Allister and Szoboszlai capable of starting in his role. But despite the expected new arrivals, Jones insisted he wasn’t phased by the fresh competition for places that awaited him earlier this year.
"I couldn't care, no. You know I am a confident lad and I have the backing of the staff,” he said of the heightened transfer speculation surrounding Anfield back in April. “If they turn around and say they think I need to leave or go out on loan then you know there are options there that I already know of anyway.
"So it's not something that we have spoken about at the club and it is not like they have said: 'Look, we're going to buy him, you might have to leave, you might have to do this or do that'. You might hear small things in the press but they just make up things to keep themselves around!
"But I've not heard anything, so I am here to play. Of course I [back myself]. Of course. It doesn't matter if I leave. I think I can show I am good enough to come back but we'll see. I am not worried."
With Liverpool due back for pre-season on Saturday (July 8), the same date Jones will be facing Spain in the final, he will ultimately be playing catch-up back at his club this summer courtesy of his international exploits. But at least he is thriving in the interim.
Prior to forcing his way back into Klopp’s starting XI in the spring, Jones made headlines after being used as a makeshift striker by Carsley during the March international break. Jones registered a goal and assist off the bench in the role in a 4-0 win over France, who started Kone in midfield, before starting in the role in a friendly loss to Croatia.
Yet he’s reverted to more natural surroundings out in Georgia, lining up in a deeper midfield role in a 4-4-2 system.
England won both their opening two games to reach the knockout stages with a game to spare. Completing 90 minutes against both Czech Republic and Israel, Jones helped the Young Lions run out 2-0 winners in both games, before being rested against Germany.
And against the latter, he excelled in particular. Registering a whopping 135 touches of the ball, comfortably more than any other player, he also completed 120 of his 124 attempted passes (97% pass accuracy) and all nine of his attempted long balls. Meanwhile, his total of three tackles was also more than any of his team-mates, as per Sofa Score.
He played a part in the build-up to both goals for Anthony Gordon and Emile Smith-Rowe, no doubt catching the eye of the watching England manager Gareth Southgate in the process, while one astonishing through-ball from the halfway line wowed supporters as it went viral on social media.
Returning to the starting XI as England beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals, he followed that up with a man-of-the-match display in the Young Lions’ 3-0 semi-final victory over Israel to book their place in the final.
Again, his total of 100 touches was the most on the pitch, as he completed 87 of his 92 passes with a 95% pass accuracy - comfortably the highest totals on the pitch. His total of 20 passes in the final third and 10 ball recoveries also led the way, while he won four ground duels, completed three successful dribbles, and created two key chances, as per Sofa Score.
And again he would go viral, channelling former Liverpool team-mate Roberto Firmino with one eye-catching no-look through-ball. As England prepare for Saturday’s final against Spain, Jones is playing with confidence and is set to be crucial to any chance of success.
The Scouser has always been a versatile player, thriving further forward at Academy level before breaking into the Liverpool first team. But in truth, he had not yet nailed down a specific role under Klopp prior to the final weeks of last season.
Yet the fact he is now catching the eye in a deeper role could make him even more valuable for the Reds, with the midfielder already comfortable in a number of positions in both of his club manager's favoured formations.
Given his injury woes over the past two seasons, Jones has been written off many times in the past. Critics would ultimately dismiss him as part of the Reds’ problem. Yet he has made a mockery of those claims and, if he can now stay injury-free, looks set to continue to go from strength to strength.
Not phased by the new competition he will face at Anfield, he will continue to push Mac Allister and Szoboszlai for starting roles when he reports back for pre-season. He has backed himself and is now doing his talking on the pitch, showing why he has always been so highly-rated by Liverpool in the first place.
While it is easy to overlook an Academy graduate already at the club, especially with the smell of big-money signings in the air, Jones has lived up to his late-season promise and is showing that he is more than good enough to be part of Klopp’s squad.
It remains to be seen if the Reds will look to make a third midfield signing this summer, but it should not be overlooked how he has outshone the transfer targets that onlookers were so desperate for Liverpool to sign last month. Perhaps his performances for England this summer, off the back of his end-of-season form, will open eyes to what a talent he can be, with the arrival of Szoboszlai not the only reason why interest in Thuram, Gravenberch and Veiga has either cooled or ended.
After all, why spend multi-millions on any of the trio, to add to Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, when you already possess a Premier League-proven midfielder who boasts more experience, has won more, and has been outperforming them anyway?
Make no mistake, while not the glamour name the transfer-hungry hordes will be craving on social media, Jones is very much part of Klopp’s midfield revamp.
