Will Hughes

[Chazza]

Liverpool on the verge of securing £10m Derby midfielder Will Hughes

Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal for the £10m-rated Derby County midfielder Will Hughes, whom they would leave at the Championship club for the rest of the current season.

The England Under-21 international, who is 18, has long been regarded as one of the brightest talents in English football. He made his Championship debut for Derby at the age of 16 and was a regular in the side last season, playing 35 league games.

Hughes has been watched extensively over the last six months by Liverpool's chief scout, Barry Hunter. The teenager's performances have merited the attention of all the leading Premier League clubs, including Manchester City and Arsenal, but it is Liverpool who are prepared to pay the premium price for an English talent and leave him at his current club to develop for another year.

Hughes played for England Under-21s against Scotland last week and impressed once again. He is part of a small group of English players who the Football Association hopes can be developed in the next cycle of Under-21s to make the step up to senior level within the next four years.

Unlike many young players of his age group, Hughes has extensive first-team experience – albeit it at Championship level. While he will represent a considerable investment, and a risk, Liverpool are aware that the price is only likely to rise over the coming months.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/liverpool-on-the-verge-of-securing-10m-derby-midfielder-will-hughes-8779076.html

[Gazzla]

I know nothing about him but it's probably a fair reflection of how we need to do our business at present, look for young players with potential and pick them up before they become stars or marquee names as we have shown just how hard it is to attract the more established star players.

Saying that £10m seems a hell of a lot for a young player in the championship that we wouldn't deem good enough to improve our squad at present, even if it is heavily incentive based its a lot of money. Is he a better bet than Shelvey who was also signed as a young starlet in the lower leagues and shone at championship level particularly when on loan at Blackpool?

As I said I know nothing about him and may prove a good addition in time but we really need to get some players in that are first teamers and can help us push for those CL places

[Fredo]

He reminds me of Suso. Probably not as talented.

[Chazza]

From what I have seen he is a bit more box to box than Suso, he can tackle and looks a real talent.

[Fredo]

From what I have seen he is a bit more box to box than Suso, he can tackle and looks a real talent.

You probably have seen more of him than me. YouTube can be deceptive.

[TheElephantMan]

I wish we were pursuing Viktor Fischer instead. However much he would cost I think he'd be well worth paying over the odds for. We're a few years away from competing with the top three or four teams in the Premiership at present so we should be building for the future.

[Gibbo]

£10m is big cash.

See we will throw it around if they will come to us!

[-V-]

This kid is talented, signing him and sending him back to them on loan makes sense

[marcus50bucks]

I've seen quite a lot of Hughes and it's fair to say he's a cracking little player. Without going over board I would say an English Xavi. Obviously he is nowhere near as good but he plays the game similar to Xavi in that he pulls the strings. I'd also compare him to Wilshire too. I think what stands out for me is how intelligent he is on ball. His awareness and composure on the ball is unreal for one so young. He's got the knack of knowing where he is going to pass the ball before he receives it and his weight of pass is a joy to watch. I personally think we lack players of Hughes's style in England so it's a breath of fresh air to see one come through.

[Imy]

£10m is big cash.

See we will throw it around if they will come to us!

Especially if you compare to the measly £5m we got for Shelvey.

[MrMichael]

Most likely some of this proposed fee, if the report is accurate, would be addons etc.

Personally I think this could be a great transfer, obviously one for the future but this lad is seriously talented and mature well beyond his years on the pitch. When you consider the sort of money paid or asked for other young English players this is not insane money, not in this case.

Hughes is / will be FAR better than Shelvey if he develops as he should. I like Shelvey but I can't see him ever running a game, Hughes can. Actually he and Suso together could be a wonderful combination in a few years.

[Hemingway]

And it's not just Suso, either - Rossiter is looking a serious prospect at 16, Lussey and Texiera both have chances, even Coady has a shot if he equips himself well at Sheffield. Really encouraging stuff. It'll be interesting to see how many of them make it (and where they end up on the field - I suspect Hughes is going to be more deep-lying here).

[Sarb]

No problem with this deal. Hugely talented. Played lots of games in The Championship and he is way above that level. Makes perfect sense to loan him back for the season. One of the most promising youngsters out there, also watched by Barca.

He loves LFC too. Massive fan. If we struggle to sign top players, signing the promising youngsters should be a road we go down

[Assassin]

Eagily awaits the Spurs Gazumping

[Fosterbloke]

He's also a pretty good dribbler. He looks like he'd blow away with the breeze but he can hold his own.