Where are Klopp’s Kids now? Two years on from Liverpool’s 2024 Carabao Cup success against Chelsea, we take a look at how the triumphant youngsters from that day are currently faring.
This was “easily the most special trophy” Jurgen Klopp had ever won, the German claimed as the post-match celebrations settled.
Amid the club’s biggest injury crisis in memory and the backdrop of Klopp’s impending departure, Liverpool beat Chelsea in dramatic fashion, thanks to a Virgil van Dijk header in extra time.
Starting XI: Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Elliott, Diaz, Gakpo
Subs: Adrian, Quansah, Gomez, Tsimikas, McConnell, Nyoni, Clark, Koumas, Danns
Every man on the pitch was heroic and nine notable youngsters stood out for their contributions, not just in the final, but in helping to maintain momentum from the league into cup competitions.
Here is how the nine youngsters who were in the Liverpool squad for the 2024 Carabao Cup final are now faring.
Conor Bradley
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 25, 2024: Liverpool's goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher (L) and Conor Bradley celebrate after the Football League Cup Final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. (Photo by Peter Powell/Propaganda)
DOB (age): Jul 9, 2003 (22)
Club: Liverpool
LFC apps (starts) 78 (47)
With Trent Alexander-Arnold suffering from injury problems, Conor Bradley burst onto the scene in early 2024 and immediately won the hearts of fans with his swashbuckling style and keen eye for a tackle.
An academy product, he had spent the previous campaign at Bolton where he developed and was named player of the season, also lifting the EFL Trophy at Wembley.
Less than a year later, he was back to play in a red shirt, featuring at right-back for the first 72 minutes of the Carabao Cup final.
Bobby Clark
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 25, 2024: Liverpool's Bobby Clark (L) and Andy Robertson (R) celebrate after the Football League Cup Final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0 after extra-time. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
DOB (age): Feb 7, 2005 (21)
Club: Derby (on loan from Red Bull Salzburg)
LFC apps (starts) 14 (4)
Bobby Clark‘s career hasn’t panned out as hoped since making 12 appearances in Klopp’s final campaign.
Liverpool chose to cash in on Clark following Arne Slot‘s arrival, selling him to Red Bull Salzburg for £10 million, who were managed by Pep Lijnders.
When the ex-Reds assistant was sacked after just five months, it left Clark out of favour. He has spent this season on loan at Derby where he has made 26 starts in the Championship.
James McConnell
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 25, 2024: Liverpool's James McConnell celebrates the winning goal in extra-time during the Football League Cup Final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0 after extra-time. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
DOB (age): Sep 13, 2004 (21)
Club: Liverpool
LFC apps (starts) 13 (4)
James McConnell is still only 21 years old and could yet make it at Liverpool, but his 2025/26 campaign has seen his development stutter due to a dissapointing spell at Ajax.
Along with goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros, McConnell followed John Heitinga from Liverpool to Ajax on loan, but once the Dutch coach had been removed from his post, the midfielder was left on the fringes.
He has now been recalled by Liverpool for minor surgery, with the hope being that he can return to full first-team training in the second half of the season.
Jayden Danns
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 25, 2024: Liverpool's Lewis Koumas, Jayden Danns and Trey Nyoni celebrate with the trophy after the Football League Cup Final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0 after extra-time. (Photo by Peter Powell/Propaganda)
DOB (age): Jan 16, 2006 (20)
Club: Liverpool
LFC apps (starts) 10 (1)
Jayden Danns was very nearly the hero of the day as he went close to scoring in extra time of the cup final.
He only had to wait three more days for his first goal, though, as he scored the first two of his three goals to date.
Danns is still deemed a brilliant prospect, but he suffered a serious hamstring injury this term which required surgery. Thankfully, he’s now back out on the Kirkby pitches.
Caoimhin Kelleher
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 25, 2024: Liverpool's goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher lifts the trophy after the Football League Cup Final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. (Photo by Peter Powell/Propaganda)
DOB (age): Nov 23, 1998 (27)
Club: Brentford
LFC apps (starts) 67 (67)
OK, so Caoimhin Kelleher was 25 when he won his second Carabao Cup, but we’re adding him to this list because he was an academy graduate and backup goalkeeper.
With Alisson among the injury absentees, Kelleher put in a fantastic display to cement himself as one of the best Liverpool goalkeepers of the modern era without ever being first-choice.
The Irishman was clearly too good to remain a No. 2, so he left for £18 million last summer to become Brentford‘s shot-stopper – and, so far, it has proved to be a good move.
Harvey Elliott
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 25, 2024: Liverpool's Harvey Elliott celebrates after the Football League Cup Final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0 after extra-time. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
DOB (age): Apr 4, 2003 (22)
Club: Aston Villa (on loan from Liverpool)
LFC apps (starts) 149 (71)
Such was the relative youthfulness of Liverpool’s cup-winning side that Harvey Elliott could be considered among the more experienced of the players who featured against Chelsea.
Despite being just 20 years old, he put in a leader’s performance across the full 120 minutes to lift his second Carabao Cup.
He now finds himself an outcast at Aston Villa, with his loan club unwilling to pay the £35 million required if he were to play 10 times in the Premier League this season.
Trey Nyoni
DOB (age): Jun 30, 2007 (18)
Club: Liverpool
LFC apps (starts) 13 (4)
Trey Nyoni was just 16 years old when he was named in the squad for the Carabao Cup final.
While he didn’t get on at Wembley, the technically-gifted midfielder made his debut later that week as a substitute in an FA Cup win over Southampton.
Nyoni is now a permanent member of the first-team squad, with Slot starting him against Southampton and Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup this season.
Lewis Koumas
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 25, 2024: Liverpool's Luis Díaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns celebrate after the Football League Cup Final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0 after extra-time. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
DOB (age): Sep 19, 2005 (20)
Club: Hull (on loan from Liverpool)
LFC apps (starts) 1 (1)
Like Nyoni, Lewis Koumas didn’t make it on at Wembley but had his moment in the spotlight three days later, when he opened the scoring on his debut in the FA Cup fifth-round tie at Anfield.
This remains the attacker’s only appearance for the Reds, but he is still on Liverpool’s books at 20 years old and has spent the last 18 months out on loan.
Last season, he scored six goals for Stoke before heading to Birmingham over the summer. His spell there was cut short in January, though, and he is now enjoying himself at Hull having scored twice already.
Jarell Quansah
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 25, 2024: Liverpool's Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez celebrate after the Football League Cup Final match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0 after extra-time. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
DOB (age): Jan 29, 2003 (23)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
LFC apps (starts) 58 (40)
It is a view shared among many that Liverpool were too hasty to sell Jarell Quansah last summer.
While £35 million was a good price for the centre-half, Slot has been left short this season, with Joe Gomez‘s recurring injuries continuing, Ibrahima Konate underperforming and newcomer Giovanni Leoni suffering an ACL injury.
Quansah has been proving himself in Germany, starting all but three of Bayer Leverkusen‘s Bundesliga and Champions League matches.
Just in the last two weeks, he has kept two clean sheets in the play-off stage as Leverkusen progressed past Olympiakos 2-0 on aggregate.
He could yet return to Liverpool in the future, thanks to a clause that means the Reds can re-sign him for a set fee of €60 million (£52.3m) from July 1, 2027.