Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha walking together at the AXA Training Centre
Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha are two of several players to debut for Liverpool this season under Arne Slot
Liverpool could save millions in the transfer market this summer thanks to Arne Slot. A season of progress under the Dutchman has left them top of the Premier League table by some distance, although his side have suffered disappointing exits from both the Champions League and FA Cup.
Federico Chiesa was the only arrival this season, with Giorgi Mamardashvili staying at Valencia and only joining the club once the current campaign concludes. However, the Italy international has made just 11 appearances across all competitions because of various fitness issues, illnesses and injuries.
As a result, Slot has primarily used the same players as Jurgen Klopp did. That was mainly by design, as the incoming coach was happy with the existing squad.
The club did try to sign Martin Zubemendi before eventually opting for the in-house solution of Ryan Gravenberch. In the absence of major reinforcements to the squad, though, opportunities for academy players have emerged throughout the season when they otherwise may not have.
Trey Nyoni is the best example, benefitting from multiple midfielders returning late for pre-season after the summer's major international tournaments to feature during the club's U.S. tour. After impressing, four appearances - including two starts - in the domestic cup competitions and a Champions League debut followed.
Nyoni is now an England under-20 international and a regular in Premier League 2. The midfielder seems set to follow in the footsteps of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott into the senior squad soon.
Rio Ngumoha has not played as much as Nyoni, but the winger is a year younger and had a disrupted pre-season after leaving Chelsea. However, the trust Slot showed to start the winger against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round after little previous exposure to the first-team environment outside of training emphasises how highly the winger is already rated.
The prospect of a full pre-season to impress Slot could see Ngumoha follow a similar trajectory to Nyoni. Both could now bolster the senior squad next summer and allow Liverpool to allocate funds towards strengthening other areas of the team.