Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign Derry City winger Trent Kone-Doherty, with the teenager tipped to quickly catch the eye and one day make the Reds first team.
The 15-year-old is regarded as one of Republic of Ireland’s brightest prospects, earning rave reviews in the process. It was revealed back in March that he was on Liverpool’s radar after wowing their scouts. Now a deal is poised to go through next month, bringing the Irish teenager to Anfield.
Celtic were also keen on his signature, having watched him closely too. But the lure of playing for Liverpool – and potentially Jurgen Klopp – has secured his signing.
Kone-Doherty has been gaining experience playing for Derry’s U19s side this season. And his coach, Gerard Boyle, is tipping the young winger to make it all the way to the top.
And, despite Liverpool’s vast array of attacking talent, believes that Kone-Doherty will one day become a major star.
“Trent certainly does have all the attributes to do well,” Boyle said, via 90min. “Trent has that ‘X’ factor, he’s got something special. His one-on-one ability is excellent. He has got serious, serious pace but the biggest thing about him is that he has a brilliant attitude.
“He is so receptive to information, he wants to learn all the time and he’s a great team-mate as well.
“Those qualities, as well as his physical and technical abilities, will take him a long way because he’s a great kid to work with and, as I said, he wants to learn and get better. Hopefully that takes him a long, long way in the game.
“Of course it’s going to be tough. The Premier League is a tough environment but you know what, Trent has got a really, really good chance because he has got that something special.”
Derry producing lots more good talent
The value of the transfer to Derry has not been disclosed, but suffice to say, it will be worth plenty to the club.
Furthermore, Boyle insists he has more quality talent coming through the ranks and is urging more clubs to take a look at his youngsters.
“It’s global now, the clubs can go all around the world looking for players so the fact that Liverpool are coming to Derry looking for Trent tells you how special he is,” he said.
“Liverpool in particular go for quality over quantity. They don’t go for big numbers at their academy. It’s a credit to everybody who has worked with Trent down the years from his boys club coaches and to every coach that has had him at Derry City, they have all helped him on that journey to get to Liverpool.
“Obviously there’s a lot of natural ability. His family will also have put in a lot of work with him as well.
“Trent is one of the first of have come through now from Under-13 up. It just shows if you put the work into your academy then things like Trent going to a top club can happen. I think that is a big boost for the club.”
Trent Kone-Doherty can learn from the best
The Reds have shown this summer that they also have one eye on the future. The arrivals of fellow teenagers Calvin Ramsay, from Aberdeen, and Fabio Carvalho from Fulham illustrates that.
And while they have also strengthened their first-team with the signing of Darwin Nunez, the Reds know the value in looking after their future as well.
Kone-Doherty will move into Liverpool’s academy side to start with, with the intention of progressing to their U23s.
And Liverpool FC have shown over the years that they are not afraid to blood their best young talent.
Ultimately, Kone-Doherty will dream of making it into their first team. With Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota to learn from, he will certainly be receiving the best education. Watching – and potentially working with – these players day in, day out can absolutely do him no harm.
And if Boyle’s words prove correct, Klopp and Co may have just landed themselves a gem in Trent Kone-Doherty.