Blackpool, alongside Barnsley and Northampton Town, are set to battle it out for the signature of young Liverpool forward Layton Stewart, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke from Football Insider.
The League One trio have expressed an interest in bringing in the 20-year-old striker with all three clubs making moves, with any move likely to be a loan deal as Liverpool look to help Stewart make the next steps in his development.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE! 🚨 – Barnsley, Blackpool and Northampton Town make moves to sign Liverpool star Layton Stewart. ⚔️
✍️: @SportsPeteO#BarnsleyFC #UTMP #NTFC
Full story ⬇️— Football Insider (@footyinsider247) July 7, 2023
Who is Layton Stewart?
Since penning his first professional deal at Anfield in February 2020, Stewart has been a goal revelation in Liverpool’s youth system. The young forward bagged 11 goals in 17 appearances for the club in Premier League 2 matches last season in a comeback campaign following a serious knee injury in March 2021, which kept him out of action for over a year.
In total however, the 20-year-old has gone on to score 45 goals in 63 appearances for the Reds’ youth setup, including 26 goals in 24 appearances in the U18 Premier League.
Stewart’s first-team debut would come in November 2022 as he started for the club in an EFL Cup third-round tie against Derby County, in which the Premier League giants were victorious on penalties following a goalless draw at Anfield.
The trio
All three clubs interested in the Liverpool youngster had very different campaigns from each other in the previous season.
Blackpool were relegated from the Championship alongside Wigan Athletic and Reading following a miserable campaign which saw the Tangerines finish 23rd in the table with 11 wins to their name alongside 24 defeats, as well as accumulating 44 points, five points adrift from safety.
Barnsley were agonisingly close to a return to the second division following a season in which they finished fourth in League One with 86 points in 46 league matches. The South Yorkshire outfit, however, fell at the final hurdle to Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley in the playoff final courtesy of a 123rd minute from Owls attacker Josh Windass, following a 2-1 aggregate victory over Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals.
Northampton Town however were successful in their bid for promotion last season as the Cobblers finished third in League Two, automatically going up alongside Champions Leyton Orient and runners-up Stevenage. Jon Brady’s side clinched promotion on the final day following a 1-0 victory away at Tranmere Rovers, piping Stockport County to the final automatic promotion place as they finished the season with 23 victories and massing 83 points in total.
Writer’s View
With any transfer, there is always that element of risk and I think this is the case here to some extent. There’s no doubting Stewart’s goalscoring record in and around Liverpool’s youth setup, with the next step of his career looking to be a big one with strong interest from teams mentioned in League One.
It’s a big step up for the Liverpool youngster as mentioned but if there is interest from League One sides, they must see something in him that they think they can benefit from. For Stewart however, it’s now a chance for him to prove himself in the EFL as he is set to embark on his first temporary move away from Anfield to continue his development.
