Owen Beck and Lewis Koumas are tipped to be the next generation of Wales stars.
Both the Liverpool youngsters are out on loan in the Championship this season and have impressed their respective supporters with their performances. Liverpool fans will hope these loan moves provide the necessary experience that gets the starlets ready for first-team football on a regular basis with the Merseyside giants.
Beck, born in Wrexham, joined the Liverpool academy from Stoke City as an under-13s player. Since then, he’s has stood out as one of Liverpool’s most exciting prospects, with former boss Jurgen Klopp once describing him as a “super talent”.
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Beck struggled with his first two loan spells at Famalicao in Portugal and Bolton Wanderers, not being able to break into the starting XI and get regular minutes. However, his third loan move to Dundee couldn’t have worked out more perfectly for the youngster.
The promising left-back impressed during the early part of the season, picking up man-of-the-match awards as well as scoring his first senior goal. He impressed so much that in January, when Liverpool suffered an injury crisis at left-back, Beck was recalled from his loan to fill in. He made his Premier League debut for Liverpool against Bournemouth, coming on as a second-half substitute, before being sent back to Dundee to play out the rest of the season there. He went on to make 25 appearances in the Scottish Premiership and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year.
New Reds boss Arne Slot gave Beck a chance in pre-season but ultimately made the decision that another year of regular playing time would be beneficial for his development. Beck has spent this season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, under John Eustace in the second tier.
Beck has started every game he has been available for so far this term, putting in solid performances and making the left-back position his own. He is playing a vital role, showing his attacking ability and defensive quality. He has also taken on set-piece responsibility too. Beck was suspended for three games earlier in the season for dissent, after insisting a Preston North End player had bitten him, a claim that was later proven.
Beck is the great nephew of Welsh icon Ian Rush and looks to him for advice. “He has been a massive help to me,” Beck said previously. “He has given me a lot of advice over the years. That advice is really valuable coming from someone who was a great player with a great career.”
Koumas is the younger of the two talents. At just 19 years of age he’s already shown he is ready for senior football after becoming a key part of Stoke City’s Championship side this season.
Koumas joined Liverpool’s academy at 11 years old and has impressed at all age levels throughout his career. He is the son of former Welsh International Jason Koumas, who no doubt has helped him develop.
Koumas made his debut for the Reds in February this year against Southampton in the FA Cup. The young Welshman scored a stunner from outside the box on his bow.
Klopp was delighted with the teenager’s debut, saying: “A wonderful goal. A boy playing on the left wing against a senior player in a team with not a lot of patterns, let me say it like that, is tricky.
“Staying in the game for these moments just shows he is a real striker because the goal is exceptional, the step in and then he shoots before the goalie can settle. A really good finish.”
The teen has been on loan with the Potters this term and he certainly has impressed. He has made 14 Championship appearances so far this season and solidified himself as a key player.
The Welshman is versatile, able to play in any position across the front three and slightly deeper in the 10 slot. Stoke’s manager Narcís Pèlach has been delighted with both his performances and his attitude. He said: “I have to say, honestly, that I’m very pleased with him. It’s not just in the games but the training sessions as well. He says yes to everything you tell him, he wants to improve. There are no excuses. He is a guy without excuses.”
Koumas scored a wonder goal just a few weeks ago against Bristol City with an acrobatic overhead kick and with the youngster already a part of the Welsh national team it won’t be long before Slot takes notice.
“I like to see good players and if they are old or young, that doesn’t matter that much,” Slot said in his first Liverpool press conference. “It’s always nice for a club and team that young players come through the ranks. That always gives energy to a club. In the end, it’s all about the quality. If they continue doing well, there will be a fair chance that they will play.”
With Slot emphasising there is a pathway into the first team for young players, Beck and Koumas can be be reassured that if they continue the form they are currently showing then they will earn their opportunity to play first-team football on Merseyside.
