da wazamba： The Gunners have been linked with a move for the Reds' homegrown hero ahead of Sunday's FA Cup third-round clash at the Emirates
da brdice： Is it once again time to ask what they're smoking over there at the Emirates? Earlier this week, it was claimed that Arsenal are hoping to sign Curtis Jones, which, if true, would be quite incredible.
And not because the idea that Mikel Arteta might want the Liverpool ace is far-fetched. On the contrary, the Spaniard's supposed interest would make perfect sense; Jones is precisely the kind of No.8 the Gunners are sorely lacking in midfield right now.
What's difficult to believe is that the north Londoners would be so naive as to think that Liverpool might actually entertain selling a player that is belatedly proving why he has been on the club's books since the age of nine.
Indeed, the now-23-year-old Jones is one of Jurgen Klopp's most in-form players ahead of Sunday's FA Cup third-round trip to the Emirates.
'A massive talent'
Friday marked the four-year anniversary of Jones' first goal for Liverpool: a wonderful winner against Everton that made him the youngest scorer in a Merseyside derby since Robbie Fowler in 1994.
He was just 18 at the time but played with a maturity and a swagger that belied his young age. Consequently, it didn't actually come as much of a surprise to see him captain his boyhood club for the first time just over a year later.
Klopp had been smitten with Jones from the first time he'd seen him training with Pep Lijnders' 'Talent Group' at Melwood.
"I looked out of my office and it was "Ooof, wow!'" Klopp admitted. "The next question was 'How old is he?' When he was told Jones was just 15, the manager was even more incredulous: "He was already clearly a massive talent!"
AdvertisementGetty A physical but flawed machine
Jones played 34 times in all competitions during the 2020-21 season but it was telling that he barely featured when Liverpool were bidding to win a historic quadruple at the business end of the following campaign.
He was still held in very high esteem by Klopp and his coaching team, which is why bids from Leeds United and Aston Villa were summarily dismissed.
Lijnders labelled him a "physical machine" – but one of the problems was that he was prone to breaking down, suffering unfortunate but all-too-regular injuries.
His inability to lock down a regular starting spot was about more than fitness issues – or the intense competition for places – there was an inhibition in his play.
Getty 'I felt like I hit a wall'
"I'd always been a lad who just wanted to go and score goals and pick up the ball and run," Jones explained. "But I kind of felt like I hit a wall, and I couldn't really take the next step."
Consequently, flair gave way to fear, resulting in Jones adopting a far more cautious playing style. Rather than impose himself on the game, he slowed it down, much to Klopp's frustration.
"I love the boy and I love the potential he has," he told GOAL in 2022. "But we have to now really make the next steps and make sure that he fulfils the potential he has on the pitch.
"He's young, very young, but from what I see his potential is just incredible. So, we have to find a way to show that much more often. That's where we are in Curtis' development."
And that's arguably where they remained until halfway through last season.
Getty Klopp's counter-pressing standard-setter
Liverpool's 2022-23 campaign was a hard slog but not without its successes. The Reds may have failed to win a major trophy but they finished the season strongly for two reasons, one of which drew far more headlines than the other.
The daring decision to regularly move regular right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield added a whole new dimension to Liverpool's play, and drew plenty of plaudits as a consequence, but the recall of another homegrown talent was arguably just as significant.
Liverpool didn't lose a single Premier League game after Jones was restored to the starting line-up for the trip to Chelsea on April 4, with his ability to rapidly recover and quickly distribute the ball proving integral to an 11-match unbeaten run. Statistically speaking, there is no more accurate passer in the Liverpool squad.
Unfortunately, his momentum was once again checked by injury this season – as well as a three-game ban for a harsh but avoidable red card in a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham, which remains the Reds' only league loss to date.
However, the changes to and improvements in his game are obvious. After Liverpool's counter-pressing master-class against Newcastle that Klopp claimed should be taught in football schools, he singled Jones out for special praise, stating the Scouser "sets the level for how it should look" – which is quite the compliment.