Liverpool target young West Brom forward

After reports last week that Liverpool are interested in West Brom starlet Tyler Roberts, Scott Taylor gives you the lowdown on the teenager.

After hearing the name Roberts being linked with a move to Liverpool, many of you, like myself may have been expecting to hear that Patrick Roberts of Fulham was the player involved as the striker has been previously linked with a move to Merseyside.

However, The Mirror revealed the identity of this young starlet as being West Bromwich Albion’s Tyler Roberts. Roberts has attracted keen interest from Brendan Rodgers, a man who himself likes to look to the future, having been a youth team coach at Chelsea.

As you may know, West Brom was the same club where Liverpool bought their youngest ever player Jerome Sinclair – the now 17-year-old was given his full debut in the League Cup against West Brom at the beginning of last season.

Like Sinclair, Roberts is another aspiring forward playing in the Under 18s Premier League. The Welshman also has international experience playing with Wales Under 16s, often as captain, and has competed in the Victory Shield. He has vast experience competing at the highest youth levels and this is will be an advantage for Liverpool, if they win the race for his signature.

The Mirror report:

Striker Roberts, 16, would cost Liverpool around £200,000 in compensation as per the guidelines of the Premier League‘s Elite Player Performance Plan – a fee likely to rile the Baggies who have had the player on their books since the age of nine.

Liverpool have a host of impressive youngsters coming through their academy and that they are continuing to build for the future is another positive sign. Rodgers has handed first-team debuts to nine players in his first two seasons at Anfield – and included another four as unused substitutes. Such statistics certainly make Liverpool an attractive proposition for any youngsters.

• Do you think Roberts will be a good signing? Do you think Liverpool are fine with just Sinclair and Sergi Canos? Don’t be shy to leave our comments below, I’d love to hear from you. Also, for more Academy related content check out my blog and follow me on Twitter: @ScottTaylorUK.