The 'where are they now?' files

[Le Chef]

Jim Moxton, ex LFC Doctor now at Man U

[Buzzo]

Jim Moxton, ex LFC Doctor now at Man U

Judas *******.

[Shaggy]

[ame]https://twitter.com/JamesPearceLFC/status/1611675686393061376[/ame]

[Irishnev]

https://twitter.com/JamesPearceLFC/s...75686393061376

I no longer have an Athletic sub - please post the war and peace esque article here

[Shaggy]

I don't have one either ....would be interested (and grateful) to read. Pretty sad story on the face of it.

[Buzzo]

Could be worse, could have no chippy?

[Patricks_Berger]

Greedy and a bit of a prick move changing agent to Aidy Ward just after all the Sterling bull****. Got what he deserved.

[Paul12]

Greedy and a bit of a prick move changing agent to Aidy Ward just after all the Sterling bull****. Got what he deserved.

Unfortunately, yes

[red g]

anyone got the link to get behind paywalls for all us tight arses?

[Fivex]

I can see it for some reason even though i'm not a subscriber.

Anyway hope you've got the next few days free, it's a long one

There was a warm round of applause for Jerome Sinclair after he returned to the Liverpool dressing room.

At the age of 16 years and six days, he had just become the youngest first-team player in the club’s history.

With nine minutes remaining of a League Cup tie away to West Bromwich Albion, manager Brendan Rodgers brought the England Under-17s striker off the bench. Moments later, Nuri Sahin, who was on loan from Real Madrid, swept home Oussama Assaidi’s cross to seal a 2-1 win.

The date was September 26, 2012.

“A dream come true,” was how Sinclair described it.

The fact the setting that night was The Hawthorns made it extra special. Born in Birmingham, Sinclair had been part of West Brom’s youth setup from the age of eight before his goalscoring feats led to Liverpool signing him just over a year earlier.

“Now the hard work begins for Jerome. It’s no good being the youngest player and then drifting out of it,” said Rodgers in his post-match press conference. “Thankfully, he’s a good kid and he’s really focused. That hunger to learn can take you a long way.”

More than a decade on, Sinclair’s place in the Liverpool record books remains intact.

Harvey Elliott has come closest — he sits second on the list, having been 16 years and 174 days when he made his debut against MK Dons, also in the League Cup, in September 2019.

Sinclair is the answer to a quiz question then, but his story is one of huge potential unfulfilled. He played only four more times for Liverpool — twice under Rodgers’ successor Jurgen Klopp – and scored his only goal for them against Exeter City in the 2015-16 FA Cup before leaving to join Watford the following summer.

During five years on the books at Vicarage Road, he started just five games for Watford in all competitions and was loaned out to Birmingham City, Sunderland, Oxford United, Dutch club VVV Venlo and Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia.

He is now 26, and has been without a club since his Watford contract expired in the summer of 2021. There was a spell on trial at League One side Oxford United a year later but he wasn’t offered a permanent deal.

Back living in Birmingham, Sinclair has a number of business interests and is the owner of the Dudley Road branch of Morley’s, a fried-chicken takeaway chain.

This is a tale of what might have been…

“All the top clubs wanted Jerome, and we were delighted that we were able to get him when he was 14,” says Frank McParland, who was Liverpool’s academy director when Sinclair made the move from West Brom to Merseyside in 2011.

“He was brought to my attention by our scouts. I watched him a number of times and was convinced he would be ideal for us – a really exciting prospect and an excellent finisher. (Then-director of football) Damien Comolli did the deal with Dan Ashworth (his opposite number at The Hawthorns, now in the same job at Newcastle United). He cost around £200,000.

“Jerome was a clever kid. He went to Rainhill School and was a straight-A student. Physically, he developed early and, at the age of 14, he had no problem holding his own in under-18s football. He was quick, powerful, strong in the air and could use both feet.”

West Brom, who had overseen his development since spotting him playing for local junior club Phoenix United, were gutted to lose one of their brightest academy prospects. Manchester City had also been interested.

“Jerome was a mercurial talent and the best player in his age group in Birmingham,” says Steve Hopcroft, who was West Brom’s head of academy recruitment. “It was like when Daniel Sturridge used to play in the area when he was growing up – people would go and watch him. It was like that with Jerome. He was unplayable as a boy. He was big, strong and quick with an excellent temperament. He was a very nice boy. His mum had brought him up well.”

Sinclair, who grew up idolising Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, moved north with his dad Alfie while the rest of the family stayed in Birmingham. Liverpool sorted out an apartment for them close to Sefton Park in the south of the city.

He spent most of the 2011-12 season with the under-16s squad at the club’s Kirkby academy site before being promoted to the under-18s under coach Mike Marsh. His stock kept rising and he was selected to play for England at youth level alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek (now of Chelsea) and Alex Iwobi (Everton).

“I played with Jerome when he first joined Liverpool and he was the best striker I’d seen at that age by far,” recalls Jordan Williams, who now plays for Bolton Wanderers in League One.

“So quick, so strong, and a real eye for goal. He seemed to take every chance he got. He was unbelievable. I can’t speak highly enough of him. He was a top lad. I was in midfield and it was a case of just giving Jerome the ball so he could do his stuff. I thought, ‘Yeah, he’s going to make it; he’s going to have a great career’.”

A prolific start to 2012-13 saw him called up by reserves coach Rodolfo Borrell (now Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City) for the under-19s’ NextGen Series trip to Inter Milan. He was still only 15. Ryan McLaughlin and Marc Pelosi were also in the Liverpool line-up that day.

“He had so much ability and was two-footed. Being a full-back, it was a nightmare facing him in training because he could go either way and finish,” says McLaughlin, who has since won five Northern Ireland caps.

“That made him so hard to mark as you didn’t know where to show him. He was one of the top strikers in England for his age group. A real rising star, but down to earth; he got on well with everyone.”

Former USA Under-23s midfielder Pelosi adds: “I remember Jerome being a true finisher. He always seemed to pop up and score inside the box. He had that quick turn and shot, reminding me sometimes of Mario Balotelli’s great finishing in first-team sessions.

“On top of that, he was also fast and technical and could link up with midfielders with one-twos. He was always one of the nicest lads in the locker room. He was smart.”

A week after that youth game in Milan, Sinclair made history at The Hawthorns when he replaced Germany youth international Samed Yesil on a night when Rodgers opted to rest Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini.

Sinclair didn’t respond to The Athletic’s interview request but he did speak to the Football 25/8 YouTube channel during the pandemic in 2020.

“Everything happened so quickly,” he recalled about his rise at Liverpool. “I was in year 11 at the time. My first session with the first team at Melwood was the best I’ve had in my life — everything I touched was a goal. I was just so happy to be there. Rodgers called me over and said, ‘I really like you, you’re going to be up here more’.

“Then, at the hotel, I found out I was on the bench against West Brom. Lots of the boys I played with there were ball boys that night. I’ll never forget that moment when the gaffer said, ‘You’re coming on’. At 16, I had no fear.”

The accolade of being Liverpool’s youngest-ever player had previously belonged to left-back Jack Robinson, now in the Championship with Sheffield United, who was 16 years and 250 days when Rafa Benitez sent him on for the last few minutes away to already-relegated Hull City in the final league game of the 2009-10 season.

“I wasn’t in the squad but I was sat on the bench that night Jerome came on against West Brom,” recalls Adam Morgan, who had been handed his own debut by Rodgers the previous month against Hearts in the Europa League play-off round.

“Robbo was fuming that his record was gone, but it was all in good spirits. We were all pleased for Jerome. I was two years older but he would play up an age group at the academy. To be honest, with us both being strikers, I’d look at him and think, ‘****ing hell, I’ve got to up my game with him around!’.

“I remember he was on fire in that NextGen Series. He could play out wide or through the middle. I appreciated the talent of someone who scored so many goals. He was similar to Raheem Sterling. They were both bought around the same age and the academy staff had high hopes for them both. Jerome was a sound lad with lots of potential. I can’t see that record of his as Liverpool’s youngest player ever being beaten.”

On the journey back up to Merseyside after making his debut, academy staff informed Sinclair that he was still expected to sit an exam at Rainhill early the following morning. They were determined to keep his feet on the floor. He didn’t let them down as he turned up on time — and passed.

However, it would be more than two-and-a-half years before he played for Liverpool’s first team again.

With Marsh added to Rodgers’ backroom staff, Steve Cooper (now Nottingham Forest head coach) was put in charge of the under-18s for 2012-13 and Sinclair finished as their top scorer, with 11 goals. It was a squad that also included Jordan Rossiter (now Bristol Rovers), Ryan Kent (Rangers), Sheyi Ojo (Cardiff City), Harry Wilson (Fulham and Wales’ World Cup 2022 squad) and Cameron Brannagan (Oxford United).

Neil Critchley (now manager of Queens Park Rangers in the Championship) took over the under-18s following Cooper’s exit in the summer of 2013. Muscle injuries severely hampered Sinclair’s progress in 2013-14 but he still led the way with 14 goals and made the step up to the under-21s, who were managed by Alex Inglethorpe.

“Jerome was a lovely kid to work with – talent combined with a real work ethic,” says Inglethorpe, Liverpool’s current academy director.

“It’s not unusual for a young player who makes his debut to go back to playing academy football for a while. He still had a lot to learn and he was eager to improve. It’s no surprise that you can’t establish yourself in the team at that age when you’re trying to displace established, world-class senior players. Patience is required.”

Taking up yoga and working with specialist sprint coach Tony Clarke to alter his running technique helped Sinclair stay fit for most of 2014-15. There were also one-to-one finishing sessions with club legend Robbie Fowler at Kirkby. It paid off as he scored 22 goals, including six in seven UEFA Youth League matches.

“Hopefully he will go on to have a great career and I can tell people I played with Jerome Sinclair,” said Jamie Carragher after watching a match-winning display from him against Chelsea Under-21s in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports.

There was a brief loan spell at Wigan Athletic – where Sinclair made a solitary appearance against future employers Watford – before returning to Liverpool and forcing his way back into Rodgers’ plans.

He was given his Premier League debut off the bench away to Chelsea in May 2015 and a week later came on in the 87th minute of Steven Gerrard’s Anfield farewell – a miserable 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

“There were some huge names in that dressing room, like (Luis) Suarez and (Philippe) Coutinho but Gerrard was the best — there would be moments in training when he’d do something with the ball and people would just stop and clap,” Sinclair said in 2020.

“Gerrard was very good with me and made me feel involved. He asked me to play in his all-star charity game against Jamie Carragher’s team. I started in a front three with Thierry Henry and Ryan Babel. I can never thank him enough for giving me the opportunity to meet my idol.

“By the end of that season, I felt like I’d pushed through a big barrier. I thought I was back on track. Now, I can see I was only at the start of all the obstacles and all the trials and tribulations you experience in football.”

Training regularly with the first team at Melwood, Sinclair was part of the squad Klopp inherited following his appointment in October 2015 and on the bench for the first game of his reign against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. He started alongside Christian Benteke in the third round of the FA Cup against Exeter later that season and clinically tucked away his first senior goal after pouncing on a defensive error. He also featured briefly in the next round against West Ham but behind the scenes, there was growing friction.

Aidy Ward, who had riled the Anfield hierarchy with his antics prior to Sterling’s £49million ($59.2m) move to Manchester City the previous summer, had become Sinclair’s agent. Talks over a new contract dragged on and Liverpool’s final offer was rejected, with Ward informing the club the 19-year-old would be leaving when his deal ran out at the end of the season.

Asked about the stand-off in January 2016, Klopp said: “Jerome is a very young player, he has skills, he is a very good shooter, but physically it is not easy for him in the centre position, in a Premier League game against 6ft 4in defenders, to survive. But he is very young and he can develop.

“We try to create a situation where younger players know it is not important to get the highest wages in your life in the first year of your career. It is more important to get the real education.”

Some staff at Liverpool believe if Sinclair had signed an extension then and stayed for another year or two to continue his development under Klopp, he would have had a better launchpad for his career.

Sinclair has always denied that his decision to leave Liverpool was motivated by money.

“There were a lot of factors,” he said. “Looking at the players they had there, it was always going to be difficult for a young striker to play regularly. People who came after me (through the academy ranks) found the same thing.

“I was coming to the end of my contract. It just felt right at that time, with the options I had on the table. I did it with a heavy heart but at that moment I think it was right to make the decision I did. I don’t have a bad word to say about Liverpool.”

Some believe the manner in which he left gave supporters a false impression of him.

“Jerome definitely got a bad rap,” says Morgan. “People thought he had a bad attitude because of how things ended but he was a lovely kid who was fully committed to his footy. He just wanted to play.”

McParland says: “The biggest problem he had was injuries. I don’t think he had an injury until he was about 17 and then he got a run of them. It’s just a real shame that things didn’t work out for him at Liverpool.”

“Jerome wasn’t a bad egg and to suggest otherwise would be unfair,” says Williams. “Yeah, he liked nice stuff, like any footballer, but he wanted to succeed as much as anyone. Steve Cooper leaving Liverpool hit him a bit. Coops had his back and gave him a lot of love. He knew what Jerome needed and that was an arm around the shoulder at times. Without that, he struggled.

“I think the biggest thing was that he lost confidence, he started missing chances and his form dipped. He felt he needed a change.”

In June 2016, Sinclair signed a five-year contract with then-fellow Premier League outfit Watford and Liverpool received a compensation fee of around £4million. They had rejected an offer of £1.5million from Watford the previous January.

Ward’s agency, Colossal Sports Management, posted on social media: “Proud to announce a brand new beginning for this young man. His aim is to try and achieve greatness.”

However, with their new Italian manager Walter Mazzarri favouring experienced duo Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo up front, Sinclair found his game time limited at Watford, too. He didn’t make his senior debut for them until the December.

“It was very different and a big adjustment,” he told Football 25/8 about his move to Watford, a commuter town just north of the capital. “A lot of the distractions that come outside of football that you might not want to be around are in your face when you go to London.

“Young players can go to London and get completely lost in the lifestyle and lose focus on football and what they are there to do. I was lucky I had a girlfriend at the time who was living with me, because if I was single it would have been a lot more difficult. Not playing is tough, mentally. You have to try to make the most of opportunities when you get them without putting pressure on yourself and trying to stay free so you can express yourself.”

There were just seven appearances before he was sent out on loan, returning to the West Midlands with Birmingham City in January 2017. He started just three games in the Championship for them under Gianfranco Zola before being cast aside.

Sinclair was set to join Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United on loan for the 2017-18 Championship season but the deal collapsed late on deadline day.

Media outlet Bleacher Report had behind-the-scenes access, where United staff suggested the problem was that Ward had doubled his agent’s fee after the player had travelled north for a medical.

However, Sinclair hit back on social media, saying: “This footage is one-sided and very misleading. I was approached but nothing was agreed. I am very happy at Watford and am looking forward to the season.”

The appointments of first Marco Silva and then Javi Gracia as manager didn’t change his fortunes at Vicarage Road. There were five substitute outings in all competitions, totalling just 43 minutes, for then-Premier League Watford over the course of 2017-18.

In July 2018, he dropped into the third tier of English football after agreeing a loan to Sunderland. He made an instant impact off the bench on the opening day against Charlton Athletic as Jack Ross’ side came from behind to clinch a dramatic 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light. However, he limped off in stoppage time and was out for a month.

“Sinclair was excellent that day,” recalls Sunderland Echo football reporter Phil Smith. “He came on at 1-0 down and helped change the game. He held the ball up, showed his pace and linked play well. It was really encouraging. But he picked up an injury towards the end of that game which meant he wasn’t able to build on it. When he was fit again, he couldn’t fight his way back into the team.

“Josh Maja was in unbelievable form at that time, so Sinclair wasn’t going to get in ahead of him. It was a shame because you could see his pedigree.

“He wasn’t getting the minutes he wanted so, at the end of January, the decision was taken for him to go back to Watford. There was never any suggestion of a falling out or anything wrong with his attitude. He wasn’t sent back under a cloud. He just couldn’t find consistency.”

Sinclair scored twice in 19 appearances for Sunderland. Asked about the decision to cut the loan short, manager Ross said: “He is such a great boy but it just hasn’t clicked for him here and that’s a shame, not only for us but also for him. I can’t speak highly enough of him, his attitude, how he has trained — even when out of the team — he has not been one bit of bother.”

He went on loan to Oxford United for the second half of that season and flourished under Karl Robinson, scoring four and contributing three assists in 16 appearances as he helped them pull away from the League One drop zone.

Robinson was keen to get Sinclair back for 2019-20 but the striker opted to join Dutch top-flight outfit VVV Venlo instead.

“Jerome was outstanding for me. When he came to us, it was clear to me that he needed to play as a central striker,” says Robinson.

“He hadn’t played in that position for much of the previous few years. I think the decision-making in terms of some of the clubs he’s gone to over the years has been wrong. He’s not a wide attacker. Out there, his movement patterns become confused. He’s a No 9 and he was brilliant there. Quick, powerful.

“He was no bother at all — a tremendous young man. He got back to scoring goals here and was a big part of what we wanted to achieve.

“We offered to have him back for the following season. We were really surprised when he went abroad instead. We were gutted. We felt we were a good fit for him. He went to Holland, played wide left in a 4-5-1, more of a left-back than a left winger, in a struggling team.”

Sinclair played alongside former Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole in Venlo, a small city on the border with Germany. When the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 (it was eventually called off), he’d failed to score in 24 appearances.

Venlo’s director of football Stan Valckx says: “It was a pleasure to work with Jerome. A really good guy – always in a good mood, social, mixed well with the other players. He worked hard. There was nothing to complain about with him.

“His agent indicated he was available and we thought he could help us. You have to remember that Venlo is a very small club with a low budget — €3million for the year. Playing for Venlo in the Eredivisie is different for strikers and wingers who come from bigger clubs where they are used to always attacking. Here, strikers and wingers have to do much more defensive work.

“Jerome didn’t always play. He had one assist for us and scored three goals for our second team. If Venlo aren’t relegated, it’s a top year for us and we were OK in 13th place when the season stopped due to coronavirus.”

Sinclair described that spell in Oxford as his “best loan” during a nomadic period, adding: “Working with Karl was very good for me. He believed in me and made me feel comfortable. Having someone in the dugout who is behind you… a lot of managers can be the opposite of that. Being an attacker, confidence is everything. That determines whether you look mediocre or the best player on the pitch.

“I chose to go abroad after Oxford. Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

“When you get older, coaches have more of an influence on your game. They want you to play a certain way, it’s less about you as an individual. Coaching talent out of players is real.”

Back at Watford and into the final year of his contract, Sinclair played twice under Vladimir Ivic in the League Cup in September 2020. However, it was clear he remained a long way down the pecking order, so he agreed to join CSKA Sofia on loan for the rest of the 2020-21 season, along with Watford team-mate Adalberto Penaranda. By then he had parted company with Ward and was being represented by the agency Promoesport.

“I remember the name, but I’ve got to be honest — Sinclair didn’t leave much of an impression here,” says Sofia-based Bulgarian football expert Metudi Shumanov.

“A lot of factors contributed to that. He came right at the end of the summer window when the season had already started. Watford’s sporting director at the time (Cristiano Giaretta) used to have the same role at CSKA, so that was the link. CSKA were looking for reinforcements and asked him (Giaretta) to help them out. When he arrived, the fans were excited – ‘The youngest player to ever play for Liverpool’. It sounded so impressive. But he wasn’t able to match those expectations.”

Sinclair scored three times in 27 appearances in all competitions and was played mainly wide on the right. He made three starts in the Europa League group stage, including helping achieve a creditable goalless draw away to Roma. CSKA won the Bulgarian Cup that season but finished a distant third in the league after a turbulent campaign that saw them have four different managers.

“Each coach had different ideas, different styles, so it was really difficult for him to adapt,” adds Shumanov. “He also had some visa issues which meant he couldn’t enter Turkey for the winter training camp and had to stay in Sofia before travelling later.

“He got injured twice and that stopped him from finding his best shape. When you put together the injuries, the coaching changes and not having a proper pre-season, that prevented him from showcasing his skills in Bulgaria.”

On May 26 in 2021, Sinclair was taken off just before the hour mark of a 2-0 victory over Beroe on the final day of the season and returned to the UK.

After five years under contract at Vicarage Road and just 473 minutes of football for Watford, he became a free agent that summer. His solitary goal for the club came against Burton Albion in the 2016-17 FA Cup.

Over the past 18 months, Sinclair has kept a low profile. He hasn’t played competitively since that last appearance for CSKA.

“I didn’t realise that he wasn’t a professional footballer anymore,” admits Valckx. “When you messaged me, I had a look at how his career has gone since his time at Venlo and when I couldn’t find online what club he was at, I thought it was a mistake.

“The fact that at the age of 26 such a big talent is not playing, I’m really surprised. I feel sorry for him that things haven’t worked out in football.”

Robinson took Sinclair back to Oxford on trial last July but it didn’t lead to a contract offer.

“Jerome came in halfway through pre-season. He was a bit behind the other boys and it was hard for him to catch up,” says Robinson. “He had been out of the game for a while. Looking back, we probably kept him hanging on longer than we should have done. We just didn’t feel that he was in a moment where he could really help us kick on.

“I know he’s based in Birmingham and he’s got a good business head on him. He’s got interests outside of football. I just want him to be happy. If that’s playing football again or not, as long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters.”

McLaughlin, who is currently looking for a new challenge himself after leaving third-tier Morecambe earlier this season, knows how tough it can be when you drop down the football pyramid after being at a club with the stature of Liverpool.

“It’s hard, because you find yourself having to adapt to a different way of playing,” he says. “You can easily make the wrong move and find yourself in a team that doesn’t play to your strengths. It’s a strange one, but maybe Jerome has fallen out of love with the game a bit. You don’t lose the ability he had. If he wants to get back into it, then it’s a case of finding the right manager with a style that suits him.”

Williams adds: “I was shocked to hear he’s been without a club for 18 months. I don’t know what he’s doing these days but I heard he’d gone into business. I’d love to see him back playing and scoring goals, but he has to do what’s right for him.”

Sinclair has 72,000 followers on Twitter and nearly 66,000 on Instagram but rarely posts on social media.

Last July, Morley’s – a chain of fried-chicken takeaways which has expanded since being founded in London in 1985 – tweeted: “Welcome to the Morley’s family Jerome Sinclair.” The company confirmed to The Athletic that the former Liverpool youngster is the current owner of its Birmingham franchise.

It’s unclear whether the 26-year-old will return to football.

Speaking to Football 25/8, he had some advice for youngsters coming through the academy system.

“In terms of my experience as a footballer, getting so emotionally invested when things go well or don’t go well affects you so much,” he said. “You can’t let things get to you so much. You can’t get too low or too high at certain points.”

Injuries, poor decisions, bad advice, misfortune and the impact of some demoralising setbacks derailed his dream after that record-breaking night at The Hawthorns when he appeared to have the world at his feet.

[Liverpool]

Gerrard to Poland?

[ame="https://youtu.be/YXq0Qbmc-aw"]Steven Gerrard's Funny Misunderstanding | Poland v England WCQ 16/10/12 - YouTube[/ame]

[Irishnev]

Gerrard to Poland?

Steven Gerrard's Funny Misunderstanding | Poland v England WCQ 16/10/12 - YouTube

I’ll put in a word for him

[baitman]

Suarez scores a first half hat trick on his Gremio debut.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/64316633

[SB]

Suarez scores a first half hat trick on his Gremio debut.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/64316633

Good on him

[Norbs]

3rd goal was a corker