The boy they never quite saw coming

Jarell Quansah was, by Alex Inglethorpe's own admission, never considered one of the top three in his group at Liverpool's academy. Respected, yes. Earmarked for the very top, not quite. The Liverpool academy director told the BBC as much, saying Quansah was "always liked and never in danger of leaving but probably never seen in the top three in the group." Fast forward to now and the 23-year-old is a pillar at Bayer Leverkusen and a trusted figure in Thomas Tuchel's England set-up. Inglethorpe's words carry an honesty you have to respect, but they land all the harder given what Quansah has become.

Inglethorpe did add important nuance, acknowledging that the move away from Anfield may well have been the making of him. "There are no certainties," he said. "Sometimes players need to leave to gain an opportunity. I'm not convinced they would have had the same career if they stayed at Liverpool." It is a fair and thoughtful point. A peripheral role under a new manager in a squad competing for major honours is a tough environment in which to find your feet. Leverkusen gave him the pitch time and the platform he needed, and he has taken full advantage.

The clause that keeps Liverpool in the picture

What makes this more than just a feel-good story is the small matter of the buyback clause Liverpool inserted into the £35m deal that took Quansah to Germany last summer. The option is valued at £55m, with personal terms already agreed between the player and the club. Whether Liverpool choose to activate it remains to be seen, but the fact that the groundwork has already been laid tells you the Reds were thinking long-term when they let him go.

For now, Inglethorpe suggested a return to Anfield remains part of the dream. "There are different pathways that can lead back to playing for Liverpool," he said, "and that is the dream." At £55m for a defender who has spent less than a full season in the Bundesliga, Liverpool's recruitment team will need to be certain before pulling that trigger. But the clause exists, the terms are there, and Quansah is doing everything on the pitch to make the decision harder to ignore.

Henderson's move and what it says about Liverpool's summer

While the Quansah conversation is largely a hopeful one, former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson has been rather more pointed about what he sees as a missed opportunity in the transfer window. The departure of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson last summer cost the club not just quality but character, and Thompson believes the solution was sitting right there in the market.

Jordan Henderson, 36, moved from Brentford to Chelsea, where Xabi Alonso brought him in alongside Danny Welbeck to inject experience into a young dressing room. Thompson made his feelings plain: "I'd have had Jordan Henderson back last summer and you go, 'Jordan Henderson?' You all seen what he's done now. He was taken with England. He was taken to Chelsea by Alonso for a reason. You see what I'm trying to say in terms of values at football clubs, we've lost a lot of characters." It is the kind of opinion that splits the room, but Thompson's underlying point about dressing room culture and leadership carries weight regardless of where you stand on Henderson himself.

With all of that noise still echoing around Anfield, Sunday's visit from Manchester City now feels like more than just a top-of-the-table clash. It is the moment for Liverpool's manager to make the headlines about what happens on the pitch.