Pep Lijnders could seek immediate favor from Liverpool in first transfer window

It’s all change at Liverpool this summer, with a new era getting underway under Arne Slot.

The new head coach’s first interview is now out of the way, and all focus will be on preparing for his first season in charge on Merseyside.

The first players will begin reporting back to the AXA Training Centre in just a matter of days – mostly the club’s youngsters, plus those who haven’t been on international duty. Not all of them might be at Liverpool come the end of the summer though.

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Slot will have decisions to make on a number of the club’s up-and-coming stars over the next few weeks. The likes of Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jayden Danns all impressed after getting the chance amid the Reds’ injury issues in 2023/24, but the next steps will be crucial in their development.

As such, some of the club’s youngsters could be set to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Harvey Elliott, Tyler Morton and Conor Bradley by heading out on loan – and a familiar face could be looking for a favor on that front.

According to the Daily Mail, the aforementioned Clark could be a target for Red Bull Salzburg this summer. The Austrian club is now managed by a certain Pep Lijnders, who left Liverpool earlier this summer alongside Jurgen Klopp.

The former assistant is a big fan of Clark’s, and is reportedly keen on taking the 19-year-old with him to Salzburg. Championship side Norwich and RB Leipzig are also said to be in the running.

Lijnders therefore will be hoping his connections at Anfield will work in his favor, and there’s every chance they might. The Dutchman already knows Slot, and should offer a similar style of football to the one that’s set to continue after Klopp’s departure.

What’s more, Leipzig might not be looked upon too favorably following Fabio Carvalho’s short spell there last year, meaning Lijnders could have the upper hand over his new stable partners.

Liverpool.com says: A loan is probably the most logical next step for Clark. He impressed in the games he played during the 2023/24 campaign, although he’ll still be some way down the pecking order at the moment, so getting game time elsewhere makes the most sense.

And where better to go than to a club where the manager already knows all about you? It will be interesting to see how Lijnders gets on as a manager at Salzburg, but if he carries the same style as Liverpool did under Klopp, he’d be the perfect man to develop Clark further next season.