Liverpool midfielder Bobby Clark is reportedly set to stay at Anfield, despite Derby County making a loan bid for the highly-rated youngster.
According to Football Insider, Liverpool have blocked midfield sensation Bobby Clark’s deadline-day loan move to Derby County, with boss Jurgen Klopp said to be “keen to integrate him into the Liverpool first-team this season.”
The 18-year-old, who is the son of former Premier League midfielder Lee Clark and is tipped for a bright future having made the switch to the Reds from Newcastle’s academy two years ago, first broke into the senior squad last year. He notably faced Derby County in the Carabao Cup, where Liverpool came out on top against Paul Warne’s side in the penalty shootout.
Additionally, he made his Premier League debut in the 9-0 demolition of Bournemouth, which underlines how highly regarded he is by the Liverpool coaching staff.
He was included in Liverpool’s pre-season squad for the tour of Germany and Singapore earlier this summer. And fair to say, he caught the eye with his impressive displays, featuring in all but one of Liverpool’s pre-season friendlies and notably scoring in the 4-0 win over Leicester in Singapore.
He returned to under-21 duty for the start of the Premier League 2 season, where he put on an impressive individual display in the 4-0 thrashing of Everton earlier this month.
Reports late last night suggested League One side Derby County were hoping to land the teenager on a season-long deal and are ready to allow a recall option active at the turn of the year.
The Pride Park outfit were reportedly waiting to get approval for a loan deal after positive talks with the Premier League club. However, it now seems that the Reds have performed a U-turn. It was initially reported that the 18-year-old was set to sign a new long-term contract with the club before heading out on a loan developmental move.
Now, though, coach Jurgen Klopp has stepped up to block any exit for Clark, preferring to keep the player as part of the first-team squad at least until January. Despite bringing in the likes of Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and potentially Ryan Gravenberch to strengthen the midfield department, Klopp still believes that Clark could have a part to play this season.
Perhaps in need of a little bulking up, a year in senior football would have probably been good for the teenager given that a season on loan in the Championship with Blackburn in 2020/21 provided the platform for Harvey Elliott to break into the Reds’ first-team setup regularly.
With Liverpool in the Europa League, the teenager could reasonably expect some more minutes in cup competitions during the 2023/24 season.
