“To Be Honest” – Arne Slot Admits He is Unsure on Liverpool Forward’s Future in the January Transfer Window

Jayden Danns found the back of the net in Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round at Anfield.

Arne Slot has admitted he is uncertain whether Jayden Danns will be sent out on loan during this transfer window.

The striker came off the bench and made an immediate impact in Liverpool’s dominant FA Cup performance. He was sharp throughout his short spell on the pitch and scored in the 76th minute, following up on Federico Chiesa’s shot after regaining possession to initiate the move.

Danns had an outstanding 2023-24 season with Liverpool’s under-18 and under-21 teams, which earned him a place in the first team. He made his debut during the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley, and three days later, he netted twice against Southampton.

A back injury sustained during pre-season sidelined him for several months, effectively ruling out a potential loan move.

Now fully fit, he has been linked with a possible temporary transfer in the January window, with Championship clubs Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle reportedly interested.

During his post-match press conference, head coach Arne Slot was asked whether Danns could leave Anfield this month. Slot admitted he has not made a decision yet but expressed confidence in the 18-year-old’s bright future, even if it does not unfold at his boyhood club.

Slot said: “The last thing [a loan move], I don’t know at the moment, to be honest. What I like most about him – and with most of the academy players – is the mentality they have.

“So, that’s a big compliment for him and definitely also a big compliment to our youth academy because if you are a youngster and you come to the first team sometimes you are used in a way that you might not expect [in training].

“Although it is common in football, you are then playing the other team that has to copy sometimes the team we face over here, so sometimes you are in a different position

“He is a striker, but if we are playing 11v11 and I make the choice to play [Diogo] Jota and the other side Darwin [Nunez] is playing as a nine, he has to play as an 11 or as a six or whatever position we need him.

“But he will always, like the other academy players, give all they have. James McConnell is also a perfect example of that. If that is your mentality you can definitely get the most of your potential.

“That is what is going to happen with him. What that potential is, it probably needs some time to find out if he will in the end be a starter for us, but he will have a very good career because of his mentality. I am very sure of that.”

Liverpool secured a comfortable win against League Two side Accrington Stanley. Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold scored in the first half, while substitutes Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa added to the tally in the second half. Reflecting on the victory, Arne Slot said:

“First of all, credit to them the way they showed themselves here today. Of course, before the game starts you watch a few games of them and then you see, ‘Ah, they’re not afraid to press high, not afraid to play one-v-one.’ But then you always wonder, will they do this at Anfield as well? But they definitely did. They were not afraid.

“Their playing style is also when the goalkeeper has the ball to play it long, so it is not that they stole this from the team we played last week, that’s just their style. They showed up in a very positive way.

“For us, it was all about the players that haven’t played that much yet, to give them playing time and give some playing time to a few youngsters.”

In other news, Federico Chiesa Fires Liverpool Transfer Response as Brutal Arne Slot Challenge Set Out