Liverpool Forward Set to Leave in the Summer

Liverpool are preparing for another summer of change, and while the focus at Anfield will inevitably fall on senior figures, one departure carries a certain poignancy. Oakley Cannonier, once etched into club folklore before he had even signed professional terms, has confirmed he “will leave” Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of the season.

At academy level, the churn never truly stops. Cannonier’s story is a reminder of how quickly promise can stall, and how unforgiving the pathway to the first team can be.

Oakley Cannonier Confirms Liverpool Exit

Speaking to The Athletic, Oakley Cannonier made his position clear. “I will leave at the end of the season and am just looking for regular games. With my age, that is all I want to be doing.

“The last 18 months have been really difficult with no games to look forward to. You train all week and then there is nothing at the end of it. It’s been pretty crap.”

There is little ambiguity there. At 21, Cannonier wants minutes, rhythm and momentum, not rehabilitation sessions and frustration. For a striker, sharpness is currency. Without matches, development becomes theory rather than practice.

Liverpool’s academy has continued to produce talent, yet competition is relentless. Cannonier has found himself overtaken in the pecking order, with others pushing closer to senior recognition. In that context, his decision feels less dramatic and more pragmatic.

Injury Woes Halted Early Momentum

There was a time when Oakley Cannonier’s trajectory appeared sharply upward. In the 2021-22 Under-18 Premier League season, he scored 28 goals in 26 games, numbers that demand attention at any level. A professional contract followed, and with it, expectation.

Then came the hamstring injuries. Persistent, disruptive and cruelly timed. Since that prolific campaign, Cannonier has managed only 22 appearances across competitions, his progress repeatedly interrupted. For a young forward, such gaps can be decisive.

He even had a trial with Leeds, with a move that would have seen him feature for their under-21 side. The deal collapsed when Leeds failed to secure a first-team target, and Cannonier returned to Liverpool. It felt symbolic, another near step that did not quite land.

Beyond the Barcelona Ball Boy Moment

For many supporters, Oakley Cannonier will forever be linked to 7 May 2019. His quick thinking to hand the ball to Trent Alexander-Arnold before that famous corner against Barcelona ensured his place in Liverpool folklore. It was instinctive, clever and perfectly in tune with the moment.

Yet Cannonier has long made clear he wants to be remembered for more than that. Being a footnote in one of Anfield’s greatest nights carries romance, but not necessarily a career.

Now, with his contract rapidly expiring, he has chosen clarity over uncertainty. Liverpool will move on, as elite clubs always do. Cannonier will seek regular football, which at his age is not indulgence but necessity.

There is regret in seeing a talented academy striker depart without a senior breakthrough. Still, football careers are rarely linear. For Oakley Cannonier, leaving Liverpool may prove the step that allows him to finally write a story defined not by a throw-in, but by goals.