10 Young Players That Should Be Catching Liverpool's Eye (Part 1)

10 Young Players That Should Be Catching Liverpool's Eye (Part 1)

Liverpool may well be on their best start to a Premier League season, but the world never stops looking forward, especially the world of football. So, with fans always on the hunt for the next big thing, here are five players under the age of 21 who’ve been making waves all over Europe, and who should be catching the eye of the scouting department at Melwood. *Note: Christian Pulisic and Leon Bailey are not part of this list, given they’ve …
Nabil Fekir: The Perfect Fourth Man?

Nabil Fekir: The Perfect Fourth Man?

Liverpool are on the march to Kiev. Amidst the blitzkrieg of goals, celebrations and stunning attacking tsunamis, however, is quite the stark realisation. Liverpool got to the Champions League final off the back of a scintillating, devastating, and unparalleled front three, with a lion tamer of a manager orchestrating their rise to potential infamy. But there needs to be a fourth. Phil Coutinho once rounded out the quartet, and the signing of Mohamed Salah was an excellent one solely for …
Scouting Kerem Demirbay - Hoffenheim's Electric Man

Scouting Kerem Demirbay - Hoffenheim's Electric Man

As Liverpool stormed into the Champions League group stages with an effervescent performance, their opponents seemed awed by the big stage. Julian Nagelsmann’s men fell victim to Liverpool’s superb attacking impetus, though their achievement is no less impressive. Hoffenheim got to the Champions League qualifying stages off the back of a tremendous campaign, with a young and idealistic manager who has vowed to play a brand of exciting football. One of that brand’s chief proponents has been Kerem Demirbay, who …
Scouting Julian Brandt - Leverkusen's Blazing Starlet

Scouting Julian Brandt - Leverkusen's Blazing Starlet

It’s been a rather torrid season for Bayer Leverkusen. Through it all, there was a blonde-haired 21 year-old plying his tricky, flashy trade in the attack, creating where Leverkusen struggled to finish. Now, Julian Brandt is a prime target ripe for the taking. He’s attracted interest from clubs with notable reputations: Liverpool and Bayern Munich – a signal of his ability if ever there was one. A report that he’d already agreed to a deal with Bayern was quelled by …
Why the Continuous Scouting of Players is Necessary

Why the Continuous Scouting of Players is Necessary

*In a previous article, which can be found here, I looked at why it's the profile of the player that's key when going on a recruitment drive and not their history or their current position. Scouting helps build up such a profile. In this article I look at how and why traditional scouting and stats based research are both necessary in the quest for the perfect signing.* Technology is king in modern football. With so much knowledge just a click …
Liverpool Summer Holiday: Holland – Not Just Windmills and Clogs

Liverpool Summer Holiday: Holland – Not Just Windmills and Clogs

First, check out the other Liverpool FC Summer Holiday pieces – in Brazil (by James Nalton) and in Italy (by Srikanth Bala). Close friends and people who generally read my tweets know that I’m an avid fan of the Eredivisie and the Netherlands national team. It may not be the most competitive league out there, but it is certainly one of the places where young players develop some of the most crucial aspects of their game. Continuing on with the …
Liverpool FC Summer Holiday – Scouting the Serie A

Liverpool FC Summer Holiday – Scouting the Serie A

As it’s the summer time the writers at Anfield Index are starting a new Summer Holiday series! Today we have a scouting report of players in Italy. To make this article a bit more interesting, this piece will look at players who: Play in Serie A Are of Italian nationalities Are aged 25 or under at the time of publishing Point 2 is a personal challenge as Liverpool have never had good luck with Italian players. In fact the list reads …
Time For a Transfer Renaissance?

Time For a Transfer Renaissance?

Recently a question came about in a group conversation as to whether players should be put through a more rigorous screening process prior to being signed on permanently or even for loans. Suggestions that came up as part of the ensuing discussion included a trial period where players can get used to training regimes and the atmosphere of the squad. As well as this a more thorough interview and medical procedure might be something worth implementing in order to better …
Judge Yr'self - The Key Decisions of Scouts And Owners

Judge Yr'self - The Key Decisions of Scouts And Owners

Judging. There’s a lot of it going on lately. The manager, the players, the owners, and the judges themselves, are all being judged. Football is about being a good judge. From the owner choosing whether or not to buy a club, to appointing the right manager, instilling the right philosophy, employing the right staff and buying the right players. Then journalists and commentators will then assess the results of these things and the fans will also react to what happens …