‘Excellent business’ – Journalist heaps praise on Liverpool after official confirmation of transfer | OneFootball

Liverpool FC have formally confirmed the exit of yet another player from Anfield in what has been hailed as ‘excellent business’ by the club.

On Monday evening, the Reds announced on their official website and social media channels that Ben Doak has completed a permanent transfer to Bournemouth, with reports citing a fee of £25m for the Scottish forward.

The 19-year-old cost a mere £600,000 when signed from Celtic in March 2022 and went on to make 10 senior appearances for the Merseysiders, who’ve duly turned an enormous profit on the youngster.

Liverpool praised for ‘excellent business’ after reaping £25m for Doak

In an article analysing the transfer, The Athletic‘s Gregg Evans sang the praises of the teenage forward but opined that Liverpool have pulled off astute business by reaping such a sizeable fee for the player.

The reporter wrote: ‘A successful loan spell at Middlesbrough last season showed what he was capable of. Doak also impressed on international duty for Scotland where he produced exciting moments of magic, including giving Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol the runaround against Croatia.

‘Had Salah not signed a contract extension last summer, Doak may have been given an opportunity to make an impact but with his value increasing following a loan spell, Liverpool were keen to listen to offers this summer.

‘The money they will now receive for a player who made just 10 senior appearances represents excellent business, and at Bournemouth, Doak will get the chance to kickstart his career.’

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Liverpool couldn’t turn down £25m for Doak

Evans rightly referenced Doak’s starring performance for Scotland against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League last autumn, when he completely bamboozled a top defender in Gvardiol.

Such performances highlighted the raw talent that the 19-year-old possesses, but when Bournemouth came to the table with a £25m offer for a player who’s never scored for Liverpool and earned just 307 minutes of game-time at Anfield (Transfermarkt), it was never going to be refused.

Not only do the Reds receive a handsome fee for the youngster; he too could benefit massively from the transfer, with his prospects of regular action at the Vitality Stadium far greater than at Anfield, where Mo Salah has had the right winger berth locked down for years.

It’s the latest example of FSG reaping a comparatively large sum for a talented player who never quite made the grade in L4, following on from the likes of Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg joining Brentford last summer for a combined fee of more than £50m.

It’s a pity that Doak didn’t manage to establish himself at Liverpool, but his reputation has soared since joining the Merseysiders in 2022, and he could now go on to reach his full potential at Bournemouth if he can carve out a regular place in Andoni Iraola’s starting XI.

All the best on the south coast, Ben!