Arne Slot gives Liverpool's one-time wonderkid his FINAL chance | OneFootball

Arne Slot is taking a chance on a one-time wonderkid. Liverpool could still make a star out of him.

Liverpool have gone about building Arne Slot a squad this summer. It’s something they didn’t do in 2024, instead handing him Jürgen Klopp’s group of players.

Slot won the Premier League with that group, of course, more than earning himself the ‘right’ to have his own group. A series of big-money transfers have aimed to give him just that.

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There’s a new club-record signing in Florian Wirtz, while Liverpool also broke records for left-back and right-back transfers to sign Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong respectively.

Hugo Ekitiké has arrived as the most expensive centre-forward, too, while Liverpool hope to break that record again with Alexander Isak. There’s interest in Marc Guehi, too, who would likely be the most expensive centre-back since Virgil van Dijk.

But that’s not to say that all of the squad additions are big-money signings. Rio Ngumoha, for one, has been a revelation through pre-season and scored his first senior goal with the matchwinner against Newcastle United.

A boost from the academy, then, and now Liverpool hope to find another with a returning loan star.

Stefan Bajcetic is in

Paul Joyce reports that Liverpool will include Stefan Bajcetic in their first-team squad this season. It's a surprise, given everyone expected his career with the Reds was over.

Bajcetic was once the wonderkid at Anfield. His breakthrough season was fantastic and he looked destined to be a star for Liverpool.

Then injuries kicked in, robbing Bajcetic of any momentum with his development and keeping him off the pitch. 11 premier League starts in 2022/23 was followed by just one in 2023/24.

It meant Bajcetic was sent off on loan to Red Bull Salzburg last season, only for a disaster of a campaign to cut that one short. He joined Las Palmas, again on loan, back in January and did have a solid second half of the season.

Was it enough to force his way back into the fold at Anfield? Few thought so, but it appears Liverpool are willing to give him a chance.

Now, a lot of this comes from the fact Bajcetic is a homegrown player. Much for the same reasons Tyler Morton stuck around last season, that helps with UEFA Champions League registration.

But it also means Bajcetic gets a chance to impress Slot on the daily. Smash that and he'll get games and we know he's got the ability to play regularly when everything clicks together.

Make no mistake, though: this is Bajcetic's final chance. He's got to stay fit and he's got to perform. The cut throat environment of elite football has been cruel for the Spaniard - but he's getting a chance here that few do.

If everything clicks, Bajcetic cane produce the kind of form that once had him destined for greatness. It also helps that he's the type of midfielder Slot likes - a tall, hard-running midfielder who's eager to push through each third of the pitch.

So there's real hope here and it's hope that might yet bring us the star we first dreamed of.