Sepp van den Berg: Liverpool’s Future Star Under New Manager

With so much talk about who will become the next manager and which players Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes should recruit for their new man, I remain confident that much of what is needed can be unearthed from within. The 2023/24 season has seen the following players rise to prominence, in this initial year of the supposed Liverpool regeneration. The rise and success of that stable of youth players has been magnificent, which is a testament to the internal process that must be continued.

The likes of Harvey Elliott, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Jayden Danns and Lewis Koumas have all made waves in Liverpool’s first-team this season.

Liverpool’s Long-Term Goal

I believe the long-term goal of the incoming Sporting CEO is to be almost entirely self-sufficient, with a continual integration of rising academy graduates able to take the minutes of players that begin to encounter unavoidable regression. That logic is further reinforced by news that FSG are looking at acquiring Ligue 1 club, Toulouse, who could act as a conduit for the reds and destination for young prospects looking for fruitful loans.

What this would enable more than anything else, is the additional funds to target players that are considered marquee and almost certainly expensive. The final couple of years of Brendan Rodgers reign at Anfield, saw vast amounts of money wasted on players not able to meet the demands of an elite footballing enterprise, which later forced a more analytical approach to how assets are targeted.

It would be negligent to continually pursue and purchase the best emerging talents in world football, to then sign senior players who would invariably block the pathway of rising talents. I wrote recently how I hoped that Fábio Carvalho would finally make a breakthrough next season, thereby joining those outstanding reds listed above. The Portuguese under-21 international is enjoying his second loan of the season (at Hull City), where he has been a sparkling success. Despite the clamour to see the former Fulham man gifted a Merseyside reprice, he is not the only loanee that should be brought back into the fold next term.

Sepp van den Berg: Liverpool’s Long-Term Solution

I fully expect Liverpool v2.0 to shift from the 4-3-3 formation to a 3-4-3 system of play next season, under one the coaches as stated in the title. This type of alteration will require energetic players to be able to meet the demands of a vibrant new endeavour, which will need a certain type of player to succeed, especially in the rearguard. After the £1.3m (rising to £4.4m) acquisition of Sepp in the summer 2019, much was expected of the former PEC Zwolle prospect.

Following loans to Preston North End and Schalke in 2021-2022, it was widely expected that the 6ft 3inch defender would be sold on as an average player that was not quite good enough to make the Anfield grade. Instead of a permanent move away, the right sided player instead undertook one more temporary move, which saw him land at Bundesliga side, Mainz. Despite the German side largely struggling and becoming embroiled in a fight to stay in the top flight this season, the 22-year-old Sepp van den Berg has been consistent throughout this particular loan spell.

Opportunities to Arise

Even if the new manager and newly installed hierarchy were to extend the contract of the Cameroonian, Joël Matip, that should not stop the decision makers from promoting the young Dutchman into next year’s plans. With an ability to play both right back and in central defence, his strong defensive attributes and scintillating pace would give brilliant depth to an already exciting defensive group.

The notion that all newcomers to the first team squad should be wildly expensive is not sustainable. The inclusion of brilliance from within will only further increase the reds’ ability to sign world stars, therefore, I hope Sepp van den Berg is part of next year’s plans. As a well-rounded and versatile defender, he would offer the type of physicality so often attributed to defenders under the wing of Jürgen Klopp. There was once an idea that the 8-cap Dutch under-21 international would be the perfect addition to the group, which is something that should be explored once more.