NEW YORK, USA - Wednesday, July 29, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni lines-up before a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Wrexham AFC at Yankee Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NEW YORK, USA - Wednesday, July 29, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni lines-up before a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Wrexham AFC at Yankee Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The arrival of Andoni Iraola has prompted a change of plans when it comes to Trey Nyoni, after Liverpool had expected the 19-year-old to leave this summer.
Nyoni has been arguably the standout performer of Liverpool’s pre-season so far, with the teenager impressing ahead of more senior midfielders.
It has led to the belief that he could even come into starting contention alongside Dominik Szoboszlai when the Reds kick off the new Premier League campaign away to Newcastle.
But that was not always the plan, with Liverpool heading into the summer expecting to loan Nyoni out.
The Athletic‘s Gregg Evans reports that after turning down a number of offers for their No. 42 in January, the intention had been to allow him to gain experience elsewhere in 2026/27.
Iraola ‘makes it clear’ he wants Nyoni to stay
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 8, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco FC at Anfield. Monaco won 3-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 8, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco FC at Anfield. Monaco won 3-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
However, Iraola has “already made it clear that he wants him to stick around” and Nyoni is now in line for a more prominent role at Liverpool.
This shift in stance over the former Leicester youngster comes at a time when Curtis Jones appears to be heading for the exit, with a €35 million (£29.9m) move to Inter Milan considered likely.
Nyoni will undoubtedly benefit if Jones departs, with the Scouser having made 49 appearances last season and 28 starts as the alternate to an established first-choice trio of Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister.
Mac Allister is only now catching up on pre-season work after reaching the World Cup final with Argentina, while Wataru Endo was needed to fill in at centre-back on his return from a long-term injury in Sunday’s friendly against Monaco.
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)
In short, Liverpool need Nyoni, but there is a sense that Iraola will not simply rely on him out of necessity – more so that he warrants his first-team role.
If he does progress as hoped, his initial £1 million move from Leicester in 2023 could prove a masterstroke for the club’s academy recruitment team.
He joined a year before Rio Ngumoha, and though the winger made a more high-profile rise into the senior setup, Nyoni has quietly convinced in his 20 first-team outings so far.
There still seems a chance Liverpool will enter the market for another midfielder if Jones does leave, but there will be a desire not to limit Nyoni’s opportunities in doing so.
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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 8, 2026: Liverpool's Florian Wirtz before a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
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NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Lewis Koumas (L) celebrates with Calum Scanlon after scoring his side's fourth goal during a friendly match between Liverpool FC and Sunderland AFC at the Nashville SC Stadium. Liverpool won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)