Liverpool have been pretty adept at bringing in young players from outside the club in recent years.
Although in the past they’ve looked abroad for the brightest talents in the game, a spate of signings from British clubs have been hugely successful lately.
The likes of Harvey Elliott and Bobby Clark, for example, were signed from Fulham and Newcastle respectively. Ben Doak came from Celtic, while Kaide Gordon joined from Derby County. All have featured in the Liverpool first-team.
Obviously, the main reason the Reds have had to look closer to home for academy additions is because of the Brexit rules put in place at the start of 2021.
However, another factor could have been the difficulty for youngsters in adaptnig to such a big move so early in their lives and careers. Signed from Bosnian club FK Sarajevo, Dal Varesanovic was one who struggled.
Who is Dal Varesanovic and what has he said
To those who are plugged into goings on in the youth teams, they’ll be well aware of Varesanovic. For others, this may be their first time hearing about him.
To the uninitiated, let us enlighten you. Varesanovic, a striker, moved to Liverpool back in 2017. Despite being born in Austria, Dal had already played for youth sides in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina before making the step to Anfield.
But although he was well travelled, Varesanovic couldn’t adapt to life at Liverpool. He spent three years in the academy before heading back to FK Sarajevo.
Having done well back in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the striker then joined Turkish Super Lig side Caykur Rizespor last summer. This year, Varesanovic is his team’s top scorer, with 10 goals in 30 games. The now 22-year-old has even earned a call-up to the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Now enjoying success, Varesaovic has looked back on his difficulties with Liverpool for Turkish outlet NTV Spor.
“It is impossible to say ‘No’ when a team like Liverpool comes to you,” he says. “I was separated from my family for the first time at a young age. Mentally, maybe I wasn’t ready for that.
“I had a lot of problems with this in Liverpool. The fact that I went through these things and the problems I experienced there made me stronger today. It was a plus for me to see the challenges early in Liverpool.”
European signings hit and miss for Liverpool
It’s unfortunate that Varesanovic couldn’t make it work at Liverpool. He’s clearly a talented player who could yet go on to a higher level.
Had he been able to feel more comfortable with his move to Merseyside, we could have been seeing him in the first-team right now.
The striker’s story does go to show how difficult it can be to bring young players from abroad, though. It allows an even greater appreciation for what the likes of Stefan Bajcetic are doing at the club.
Bajcetic was the final signing from Europe before the Brexit rules came into effect. And what a signing he’s been. Liverpool haven’t always got it right when trying to identify the best youngsters on the continent, but my word, they hit the jackpot with Stefan. All the best to Dal anyway as well, we’ll be following his career with interest.