Liverpool's signing of Raheem Sterling shows they are finally ready to challenge for the top British youngsters

By David Maddock

Published 12:20 09/03/10

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It went largely unheralded last week, but Liverpool made a significant signing in the transfer market that could have massive implications for their future.

On the surface, the capture of a 15 year old kid who has yet to play a senior game of football is hardly earth-shattering, but the arrival of Raheem Sterling at Anfield is big news, believe me.

10 things you need to know about Raheem Sterling  

What it shows is that the club is finally prepared to take on the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal in the competition to sign the best young English kids in the game, an area in which they have previously been reluctant to compete.

It is a new policy implemented by their forward-thinking MD Christian Purslow, and it is a refreshing new approach, because for too long Liverpool have been second best when it comes to developing English talent.

Sterling is an England U-16 international who first played at that level when he was 14 years of age, and he is widely regarded as possessing the potential to become the next Theo Walcott, Jack Rodwell or even Wayne Rooney.

Liverpool’s policy in the past was depressing. It was set by Gerard Houllier and made little sense, because he was prepared to ignore any and all young British players to focus instead on signing obscure foreign talent that mostly proved to be journeymen.

It was a disastrous approach which almost destroyed the club’s youth system, and left them a million miles behind Arsenal, with their much-vaunted accent on youth that has paid such handsome dividends.

Even in recent years, there was a real reluctance from the Anfield hierarchy to compete at the big money level to sign the likes of Walcott or Aaron Ramsey, who both went to the Gunners instead, and will both prove fantastic value despite the high level of their initial fee.

Not any more though. Purslow wants to give Liverpool’s youth system fresh impetus, and he wants to place the emphasis back on developing British talent, whether already on the books or bought in.

The club has a history or producing brilliant local players like Robbie Fowler, but it also has a fine tradition of signing fine young prospects and turning them into superstars, with Ian Rush springing instantly to mind.

Sterling is of a similar vein. Signed from QPR, his fee will rise to at least £2million and could even go beyond the £5million mark should he enjoy the success everyone believes him to be capable of. But that will be a small price to pay if he does come through like Rush did before him, or Jamie Redknapp, or Rob Jones.  

Because of Houllier’s short-sighted ignorance, Liverpool haven’t produced a kid through their own youth system for 10 years, and something drastic was required to address that. Quite clearly, one of the avenues has to be to challenge Arsenal, United and Chelsea for the best talent, and it’s finally happened.

Sterling – genuinely – was courted by all three of those clubs as well as Spurs and Fulham, but the Merseyside club stole a march on them all, to herald what is to be hoped a new era, and a new direction that couldn’t come a moment too soon.

Have the Liverpool players - and Rafa - started to believe they're just a two-man team?

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