Rhian Brewster leaving Liverpool. Anyone else’s heart sink at the thought of that happening?
In short order, it's gone from being a mere rumour to a real possibility that the 20-year-old could depart Anfield before next month’s transfer deadline. Crystal Palace and Sheffield United are the two teams whose interest appears to be concrete.
Many have tipped Brewster to be the successor to Roberto Firmino’s throne and lead the Liverpool attack in the future. Personally, that thought is more exciting than the idea of splashing £50 million on a striker who’s case will need to be proven.
Brewster has shown incredible amounts of character and mental strength to overcome his injury woes from the past. After more than 14 months of rehabilitation and recovery, he returned to fitness with a point to prove.
Liverpool knew they had a gem on their hands, and made the decision to hand Brewster a professional contract in 2018. A free transfer to Germany was on the cards, but the club and the player knew remaining at Anfield would benefit all parties.
First-team opportunities were still hard to come by, and he had to wait more than a year to make his debut in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup clash against MK Dons 12 months ago. The Reds knew match time for the youngster was vital for his development. A loan move to Swansea City followed, managed by Steve Cooper who he worked with during his days with England Under-17s - a smart decision. Despite being a division lower, Brewster proved to everyone what he is, a natural goalscorer.
Despite showcasing his natural talent and flair, was it ever going to be likely that he would dislodge Firmino as the first-choice centre forward at Liverpool? The short answer is no. In fairness, that was never going to be the plan for Liverpool or Brewster. Firmino’s quality is admired and respected even by those outside Anfield, plus Brewster’s first-team form had only been proven for 22 matches. Not very long in the grand scheme of things.
![Rhian Brewster has impressed for Liverpool in pre-season](https://i2-prod.liverpool.com/article18831453.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/1_GettyImages-1268504147.jpg)
The prospect of letting Brewster leave is one that would dishearten even those who have the power to sanction such a transfer. But if such a deal happens, recent history has shown that it will be on Liverpool’s terms.
Since Jurgen Klopp arrived and Michael Edwards was installed as sporting director, Liverpool always do business to suit them and never panic when making a decision. If the market isn’t right, they are more than happy to walk away from negotiations and pursue other targets, or stick with what they’ve got.
When it comes to outgoings, no player leaves without Klopp’s say so. And for Edwards, his ability to squeeze rival clubs out of every penny possible for a player is unrivalled by anyone else in his position across England, maybe even Europe.
Back to Brewster, if an offer of £25 million comes in for the youngster, which has been talked about in recent reports, that on the face of it seems like a decent deal. In truth, it is, but only if a key ingredient is added.
Liverpool have made the mistake in the past of letting some of their talent go on a cheap deal, without inserting a buy-back clause should the player go on to light up the scene in his new venture. Such a clause would almost certainly be needed if the Reds were to consider letting Brewster leave.
This is what big teams do. They keep a player for as long as possible and, when the right offer comes in, let them go but on their terms, and often with the option of having first refusal in the future.
Liverpool have done so in the past -- selling Jordon Ibe to Bournemouth four years ago with a buyback clause. It is highly likely that such a clause would be inserted should Brewster depart.
These are deals done by big clubs, and Liverpool are showing their stature in world football in the transfer market, not just on the pitch.