We know that Liverpool need signings to strengthen their squad, but the Reds’ pre-season tour has reminded supporters of the talent already available to Andoni Iraola.
The transfer market is what keeps fans ticking over the summer. The allure of shiny new signings brings with them a sense of the unknown.
Sometimes they work out and other times they don’t, or at least not instantly as Liverpool were forced to learn last season.
There is something exciting about the unknown, about the ‘what could be’.
However, sometimes what a club really needs is already in the squad, waiting patiently for their opportunity.
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni (L) and Lewis Koumas after a friendly match between Liverpool FC and Sunderland AFC at the Nashville SC Stadium. Liverpool won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni (L) and Lewis Koumas after a friendly match between Liverpool FC and Sunderland AFC at the Nashville SC Stadium. Liverpool won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Trey Nyoni is one of those players, and if he weren’t off on loan this season, Ifeanyi Ndukwe could be too.
This isn’t to suggest Liverpool don’t need signings – attacking reinforcements are vital for a successful campaign – but some of their problems could be solved by young talent.
Trey Nyoni’s impressive pre-season
Having arrived from Leicester in 2023, the midfielder has taken his time to develop, technically and physically, but now looks ready to take the plunge into Premier League football.
At 19 years old, he has been the standout player from Liverpool’s first three pre-season outings.
With Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister featuring very little and not at all, respectively, due to their World Cup exploits, Nyoni has staked his claim to a first-team place.
He has already been around the senior squad for the last two seasons, starting four matches, but this summer is an opportunity to step up to become a regular fixture in the side.
With the obvious caveat of the matches being friendlies, Nyoni has shown himself a worthy candidate to start games for Iraola.
Lining up in a midfield two with Dominik Szoboszlai or James McConnell, he played half of all Liverpool’s minutes in their three matches against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds.
In those 135 minutes, FotMob tells us he completed 92 percent of his 154 passes.
To some extent, this statistic doesn’t tell us anything new; we already knew Nyoni was a tidy midfielder, capable of keeping the ball moving.
Under Iraola, however, he will be asked to do more. Passing forward, vertically and quickly, is the name of the game for the new coach.
And so far, Nyoni has done as asked.
The youngster has played more passes into the final third (23) than any other Liverpool player in pre-season, with his best half arguably coming against Leeds.
NEW YORK, USA - Wednesday, July 29, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Wrexham AFC at Yankee Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NEW YORK, USA - Wednesday, July 29, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Wrexham AFC at Yankee Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
When he went off at the break, Liverpool were 2-0 up. He was replaced by Ryan Gravenberch, playing his first minutes, and the Reds lost 4-2.
In addition, only Ndukwe and Milos Kerkez made more defensive contributions than Nyoni’s four against Leeds.
What Andoni Iraola thinks of Trey Nyoni
It was after Liverpool’s win over Wrexham that Iraola told LFCTV: “Trey is very good on the ball, very calm, he reads the situations well.
“We’re forcing him in the work without the ball, in the press, and he is absolutely doing very well. I think the timings of the jumps are very good.
“He is always confident on the ball so we encourage him.
CHICAGO, USA - Friday, July 31, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during an open training session at the Endeavor Health Performance Center ahead of their final pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
CHICAGO, USA - Friday, July 31, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola during an open training session at the Endeavor Health Performance Center ahead of their final pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“Sometimes even if he loses the ball, ‘try to find the No. 10, try to find the No. 9, even balls in behind, look a little bit further’ because he can do it, because he is so good.
“At the end, he is a midfielder who, I always say, you have to ask for the ball sometimes with pressure – and he doesn’t feel this pressure.
“Even when he has one opponent quite close, he asks for that ball and he’s confident. He doesn’t rush. For me, that is very valuable.”
An opportunity in midfield
With Curtis Jones‘ future uncertain due to Inter Milan’s interest, Alexis Mac Allister not returning until closer to the season’s start date and Harvey Elliott more suited to the No. 10 role, there is a chance for Nyoni now.
The Reds need bodies for a long season. If Jones or Mac Allister were to leave, the problem would be further exacerbated.
Arne Slot was keen to keep him around but didn’t trust him when Mac Allister was out of form. Iraola may be different.
Having bulked up, Nyoni looks ready for the Premier League – and there hasn’t yet been any suggestion of an imminent loan.
Seeing him be successful for Liverpool would be a win for the Reds’ recruitment team.
Nyoni was among the first brought in as the club sought to sign and develop other clubs’ top talents, rather than just relying on the Academy’s intake of children.
CHICAGO, USA - Wednesday, July 22, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni departs the team hotel for an afternoon training session in Chicago ahead of the start of the club's pre-season tour of America. The team play friendly games in Nashville, New York and Chicago as they prepare for the start of the new 2026/27 Premier League season. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
CHICAGO, USA - Wednesday, July 22, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni departs the team hotel for an afternoon training session in Chicago ahead of the start of the club's pre-season tour of America. The team play friendly games in Nashville, New York and Chicago as they prepare for the start of the new 2026/27 Premier League season. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
He needs to be good enough, of course, and these are still early days, but Nyoni could save Liverpool a lot of money as they look to improve in midfield.
That doesn’t mean Liverpool shouldn’t sign new players, though; it just means that they may have one fewer issue to solve.
The money that could have been splashed on Adam Wharton, for example, would be better spent on the next wave of great forwards.
FotMob is the essential app for every fan to keep up to date with their team or follow football worldwide, with new features including heatmaps for players.
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