Liverpool could repeat Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endō trick to beat Brighton to wonderkid

Liverpool could sign a player from the same club the Reds signed Wataru Endō as an exciting German wonderkid is reportedly on the club’s transfer radar.

Based on the events of the summer, it’s hard to dispute the fact that Liverpool, in its current state, likes to scout the Bundesliga for talent.

Out of the four summer signings this season, only one in Alexis Mac Allister did not come from the German league. The rest — Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endō — were all signed from Bundesliga clubs.

That trend could continue in the next transfer window as well. While the summer one has only just closed, January is not far away, and Liverpool’s scouts are very much toiling away as usual to find the next potential targets.

One player being followed by the club, according to The Guardian’s Ed Aarons, is German youth international Raul Paula.

The 19-year-old plays for Stuttgart, the same club Endō came to Anfield from, and is highly rated.

Predominantly an attacking midfielder or a forward, Paula has captained Germany’s youth sides in the past, and scored one goal in one game at U16 level, as well as two goals in two games at U17 level.

In general, since arriving at Stuttgart’s academy in 2019, the youngster has been a revelation with a strong goal record.

For Stuttgart’s U17 side, he made nine goal contributions in 14 games. For the club’s U19s he made 16 in 23, and this season he has really exploded onto the scene for Stuttgart’s reserve side, playing senior football in the fourth tier of German football.

So far, Paula has six goals and one assist in nine games, and on top of that, he even featured for the first team in a pre-season friendly during the international break against Zurich in which he scored a goal in an 8-3 victory.

With Aarons reporting that Brighton is also tracking the youngster and Transfermarkt’s information suggesting that his contract expires in the summer of 2024, now is the time for Liverpool to strike while the iron is hot.

If Paula has done enough to impress the Liverpool scouts, based on his track record at youth level and his current situation, he is someone who would be worth taking a punt on.

While he wouldn’t qualify for a work permit, the new FA regulations introduced this summer permitting exemptions for up to four players for Premier League clubs would allow Liverpool to bring him in straight away, and get him to maybe work with the U21s first before gradually readying him for the first team.

Given the fact that he can play as a winger, a forward and an attacking midfielder, he is the type of player who Jürgen Klopp likes to work with, and while there is no desperate need for another player in those positions at Anfield, it’s always useful to bring exciting young talents to the club.