Liverpool Brought in Alvin Ayman This Summer, but His Name Has Slipped Under the Radar

There’s been a lot of talk about Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha, who are both exciting arrivals at Anfield.

However, Ayman could become just as astute of an acquisition for the Reds.

The midfielder who is capable of playing as a holding midfielder and as a centre-back has a lot of promising attributes and he is very highly rated.

Anfield Index takes a look at his background, his playing style, and potential.

Ayman’s Background

Born in September 2007, Ayman has only just turned 17 years old. But he’s already got a lot of experience playing U18 Premier League football last season and has enjoyed a rapid rise in the last year and a half.

Ayman only arrived at Wolves’ U16 team back in the summer of 2023 from Bradford’s youth side.

However, he quickly worked himself up the ranks and managed to become a stalwart in a very strong Wolverhampton U18 team, that finished third in the U18 Premier League table last season.

Ayman started and starred in victories over Liverpool and Manchester City.

Before attracting the attention of the former and signing for the Reds for a fee that could rise up to £1.5m.

Ayman’s Profile

Having watched a few of his games and his U18 debut, what stands out about Ayman straight away is his technical ability.

He’s brilliant at gliding past opponents from midfield and can really dictate the rhythm of the play.

He can read the game well, and knows where to position himself in different scenarios as well as how to play himself out of trouble.

The fact that he can play in a number of different roles also highlights his footballing intelligence.

On top of that, he’s quite fast and physically strong, which means he’s got all the attributes to be an excellent midfielder.

Ayman on the Ball

The first time I watched Ayman in a game was against Liverpool’s U18 side last season.

It was a game that his side won 4-2, and Ayman played in the middle of the park dictating the play.

What stood out about him immediately was his ability to keep hold of the ball.

He completed 91% of his attempted passes (44/40) and completed five out of five dribble attempts, as per Wyscout.

Seven of his passes were into the final third, highlighting that he wasn’t just playing it safe – he was always looking to penetrate the opposition.

We saw glimpses of that on his debut as well. Even when surrounded by three players against Blackburn Rovers’ U18 side, Ayman was always able to play around them and find passes to his teammates in advantageous positions of the pitch.

You can see in this moment here where he receives the ball with his back to goal surrounded by a throng of opposition players and is still able to pass it out wide and make a forward run into the opposition’s penalty area.

Overall, his numbers back this up as well.

Last season, Ayman averaged close to seven passes into the final third (6.7) per game.

He also averaged an impressive 2.58 progressive runs and 4.64 dribbles from midfield per 90 minutes – succeeding in 55.6% of his attempts.

Those are really high volumes. Higher than Trey Nyoni, for example, who averaged 4.39 dribbles per 90 in the U18 Premier League.

Ayman’s Speed and Defensive Quality

Having played as a defender, it comes as no surprise that Ayman is more than capable of excelling in this area as well.

Last season, he averaged 7.74 defensive duels per 90 and won 66.7% per cent of them.

Impressively, he was even stronger in the air winning 85.7% of his 1.81 aerial duels per 90.

He also averaged 4.83 interceptions per 90 and made a whopping 10.06 recoveries per 90 minutes with 69.2% coming in the opposition’s half.

The latter will be music to the ears of Arne Slot, who demands exactly that kind of pressing and ball recovery rates from his midfielders.

We saw Ayman’s quality in this area on his debut as well. He is incredibly quick at recognising danger and tracking back.

At the beginning of this Blackburn counter attack, Ayman is standing on the edge of the opposition’s penalty area (pictured in the red no.8 shirt)

But he quickly recognises the danger and as soon as the ball is turned over, within seconds he is trying to thwart Blackburn’s counter attack.

And by the end, he is in Liverpool’s own area, marking Blackburn’s man in the middle.