Birmingham City are claimed to be interested in a permanent transfer for Liverpool's Lewis Koumas - here's the inside track on his time at Stoke
Lewis Koumas of Liverpool
Lewis Koumas of Liverpool(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Birmingham City have been linked with a transfer for Liverpool youngster Lewis Koumas.
According to sister title Liverpool Echo, Blues are one of six Championship clubs interested in the 19-year-old.
They reckon Blues and Wrexham are ‘leading the chase’ but cite Sheffield United, Norwich City, Preston North End and Hull City as also keen.
Both are said to be thought willing to offer a permanent deal for the teenager, who scored on his senior Liverpool debut in the FA Cup win over Southampton in February last year and who has gone on to make 50 senior appearances and win six full Wales caps.
Koumas spent last season on loan with Stoke City so BirminghamLive spoke to the Sentinel’s Potters reporter Pete Smith for his verdict.
How did Koumas do with Stoke last season and now did the fans take to him?
PS: He showed glimpses of pace and skill and, when he’s at his best, an ability to change games. He mostly played as a wide forward but occasionally down the middle and he was relied on more than everyone had probably expected through the first few months.
That was probably a tough gig at times in a struggling team and his form was a little up and down.
He was used more as a sub as Mark Robins settled in as manager in the second half of the season, particularly as injuries started to clear up.
It all meant that an initial buzz about his arrival, especially following an eye-catching debut against West Brom, probably gave way to a realisation that first loans are normally hard and he wasn’t quite ready to show his potential week in, week out in the Championship.
We wrote in our end of season ratings that if he’d had half the game time there would likely be more excitement about what came next.
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What are his strengths and weaknesses?
PS: He likes to play on the front foot, makes direct runs and he can be a useful part of a balanced attack. A goal against Bristol City last winter showed a deft touch and scoring instinct. He is willing to put in a shift too, as long as he can keep his focus.
There were moments when he might lose concentration off the ball. He will have got an almighty rollocking for his part in a Coventry goal in March when he was hooked at half-time.
He will have to spend a lot of time in the gym if he wants to hit the heights that coaches think he can reach.
Blues, Wrexham, Sheff Utd, Norwich, Preston and Hull are all linked, what’s his ideal next move?
PS: Koumas will be better for his year at Stoke and no one will write him off nor think he’s a banker. Apologies for sitting on the fence.
We’re probably still thinking of the Liam Delap career model. Delap was more physically ready for the Championship when he came to Stoke but he was still raw and it took until his second season, out at Hull, to find more consistency then Ipswich gave him a shot at the Premier League.
That’s the ideal route for Koumas but just because Delap came good doesn’t mean that’s automatic. There’s a player in there but he’ll have to work his socks off. We’ll be in a better position to know exactly what his level could be by this time next summer.
So a second loan unless someone is willing to take a gamble now.
Anything else we should know about him?
PS: Koumas reserved his best performances for games against his dad Jason’s old clubs, West Brom and Cardiff. He looked like he found an extra gear at times and he namechecked one of his dad’s old goals – to win promotion for West Brom – when he scored away at Sunderland.
He seems really proud to be following in his footsteps and thrilled by the chance to play for Wales.