Liverpool Eye Leicester Teenager Louis Page as Future Midfield Option
Liverpool’s squad looks far more balanced than it did a year ago, but one issue still glares back at Andoni Iraola every time his team is stretched: the lack of a nailed-on, long-term number six.
Alexis Mac Allister has rediscovered his rhythm and is knitting games together again. Even so, the midfield remains the softest part of this Liverpool side. The club have turned over options, weighed up profiles, and watched targets slip away. Lamine Camara, Adam Wharton and others have been floated, discussed, then quietly parked.
The search has not stopped. It’s just moved.
Scouts sent to watch Louis Page
This week, Liverpool’s recruitment team widened the lens again. According to TEAMtalk, club scouts were among a sizeable Premier League and European contingent at Edgeley Park to watch Leicester City teenager Louis Page.
The 18-year-old has been on the radar of several top-flight sides, but the crowd in Stockport underlined how quickly his stock is rising. TEAMtalk report that Manchester City, Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle United and Sunderland all had representatives in attendance, tracking Page’s development.
They are not alone. Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have already taken a close look at the Leicester youngster, while Manchester United are also in the mix and, per the report, believe they remain “in pole position” after groundwork laid in the summer. Borussia Dortmund’s presence in the stands pointed to interest spreading beyond England and into the Bundesliga’s talent pipeline.
This is no quiet tug-of-war. It’s a scramble for a player who has barely started his senior career.
Why Liverpool are looking at a new six
Liverpool’s latest reminder of what a strong defensive midfielder can do came in their Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham on Tuesday night. Mac Allister and Trey Nyoni both started and produced assured displays, offering more control and bite than the Dominik Szoboszlai–Ryan Gravenberch pairing had managed.
They won more duels. They protected the back line. They allowed Liverpool to squeeze higher up the pitch.
In the modern game, leaving fewer than five players committed to protecting your own goal is asking for trouble. Teams transition faster, attack in waves and punish any midfield that can’t slow them down. Iraola has largely settled his defence and attack; the base of midfield is the last major piece.
That’s where Page comes into focus.
The Jordan Henderson comparison
Page is only 18. He is nowhere near captaining a senior side yet. But the way he moves, competes and leads within games has already drawn comparisons with Jordan Henderson at Liverpool.
Henderson built his Anfield legacy on relentless running, constant availability and a willingness to crash into tackles that changed the tempo of matches. He covered ground, set standards and dragged team-mates with him.
Page shows hints of the same traits. Leicester’s wild 4-3 win over Stockport on Saturday offered another glimpse. The teenager produced two assists and, according to Sofascore, ranked among Russell Martin’s standout performers on the day. He influenced the game in both directions, not just with the ball but with his work rate and aggression.
The leap from League One football to the Premier League is enormous. The physicality, the speed, the decision-making – all of it jumps a level, then another. But Liverpool are not looking at Page as a quick fix. They are looking at a profile: an energetic, combative midfielder who can grow into the role over time.
With the right coaching under Iraola and a carefully managed pathway, Page could become part of Liverpool’s next-generation midfield rather than a stop-gap solution.
A smart long-term play?
For now, it is early. Liverpool have only just dispatched scouts to watch him live. There is no agreement, no bid, only interest and information gathering in a crowded field.
Yet among the number six options floated around Anfield this season, Page stands out as a different kind of move. Not the finished article, not a superstar signing, but a calculated shot at securing the next Henderson-type heartbeat before he explodes in value.
In a market where elite holding midfielders are scarce and staggeringly expensive, that might be the sharpest play Liverpool can make.
