Liverpool Academy director Alex Inglethorpe will continue to nurture the club's emerging talents after signing a new long-term contract.
As reported by the ECHO earlier on Friday, talks have been ongoing for some time before being significantly stepped up over the last few weeks. And now the club has confirmed via their website that a deal has been done to keep Inglethorpe at the helm of the Kirby operation.
The 50-year-old joined the club from Tottenham Hotspur 10 years ago and has helped oversee the development of a number of young talents on the books that include Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones.
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Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward said: “The work that has taken place at the Academy over a long period speaks for itself and Alex has been fundamental to everything that has been achieved so it is really good news that he will continue in a role in which he excels.
“The demands placed on an Academy director are significant – we want players to develop as sportsmen and as people, we want players to come through to the first-team squad, we want our youngsters to be given the best possible care, support and guidance – and, again, Alex has proven himself to be a leader in these fields and many more besides.
“In recent years, the progress of Academy talent towards the first-team environment and making their mark in the wider professional game is testament to the expertise and input of our Academy coaches and practitioners across the age groups. For this to happen, of course, a positive working culture has to be in place and under Alex this has always been the case.
“So Alex extending his commitment to Liverpool made perfect sense. The good thing is it made perfect sense for him too, which means he can continue this work, which will undoubtedly be of great benefit to us as a club and to the young footballers who we are entrusted with developing.”
Inglethorpe, who is closing in on a decade's service with the Reds, is the fourth significant member of Liverpool's backroom staff to sign a new long-term deal, following in the footsteps of firs- team manager Jurgen Klopp and assistant managers Pep Lijnders and Peter Krawietz.
Speaking to the official website, Inglethorpe said: “My primary role is to be around the players and to help them. It’s a privilege and an honour. Every day I feel very lucky to be getting out of bed and working with the staff that I am and working with the players that I’ve got.
“It really isn’t much of a decision. Like most people, I spent the best part of 20 years trying to get here and when you’re here you don’t really want to leave. I feel incredibly fortunate to be offered the chance to continue evolving and creating what we do and I’ve still got as much energy and enthusiasm for the role as I had on day one. The biggest compliment you can be paid is to be trusted to do your job.”
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