FOOTBALL
By Animesh Pandey
Posted on July 14, 2026 12:00 am | Updated on July 13, 2026 2:48 pm Dara Jikiemi is ready to enter Liverpool as the Reds beat Celtic in a major transfer move
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Dara Jikiemi is ready to join Anfield, as per recent news. Liverpool have overcome Celtic to secure the teenage sensation from Scotland.
Liverpool win the competition to secure Dara Jikiemi
The Reds have successfully convinced Scotland’s U16 skipper Jikiemi to move to Anfield. The centre-back will not stay at Celtic, and will join **Liverpool**by January 2027, when he turns 17 years old. He will be arriving on a scholarship agreement, as reported by TEAMtalk. Previously, Jikiemi played for the Celtic B team. He joined the reserve team in March 2026.
This is not all. By the time Jikiemi turns 18 in 2028, the Reds aim to bring him into the senior team as well. If everything goes right, Jikiemi could further sign a long-term professional contract with the Reds.
Benefits of Dara Jikiemi’s Liverpool entry
Liverpool aim to start afresh for the 2026-27 season. They don’t want a repeat of the 2025-26 Premier League, where they finished in fifth place. That’s why the Reds are aggressively pursuing youngsters like Dara Jikiemi. Apart from the Scottish centre-back, Liverpool have signed players like Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Victor Munoz and Will Wright among others for the next season.
Apart from bringing young players like Jikiemi, the Liverpool management also replaced the head coach. Instead of Arne Slot, Andoni Iraola will be leading the team for the 2026-27 season. Slot was appointed as the team manager ahead of the 2024-2025 season. He made a promising debut when the Reds won the 2024-25 Premier League title. However, he couldn’t repeat the performance next year. Moreover, there were allegations of fallout between the players and head coach Slot. That was the reason Slot was replaced by Iraola ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Jikiemi is well known for his impressive defense skills. The Reds want to make a star out of the Scottish defender. They are ready to do whatever it takes to ensure that Jikiemi becomes a standout player for the Liverpool.
What’s next for Dara Jikiemi?
Jikiemi will be preparing for the upcoming footballseason for now. He has a clean record in terms of both health and his discipline. Moreover, players like Jeremy Jacquet will be helping him out when he arrives at Anfield. Jacquet was signed by the Reds for an amount of £60 million ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Liverpool are undergoing a significant transformation. Players like Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson have left the club after the end of a rather average season. While Jikiemi cannot replace the void left by Salah as a defender, he can definitely make up for the absence of defenders like Konate and Robertson [who played for Liverpool as centre-back and left-back respectively].
Under the guidance of a manager like Andoni Iraola [who himself played as a right-back], Jikiemi can do very well for Liverpool. It would be tough to say if the management includes him in the senior team the very next year. However, if he does well, nothing is impossible to achieve.
Liverpool have experienced a roller-coaster ride in the past two years. However, team manager Iraola is hopeful that the club will get back to winning ways by next year. That’s why the management wants a younger, stronger side by the next season. If Jikiemi makes it big with the Liverpool’s youth teams, he can go a long way. The Scottish defender knows very well that he won’t get another opportunity like this.
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Animesh Pandey
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