Ä Rennes s JEREMY DOKU controls the ball during the French L1 football match between Rennes and Lille at Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes,western France on January 21,2021. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xJeremiasxGonzalezx
According to Mirror, Jeremy Doku turned down a move to Liverpool last summer. Doku joined Rennes instead as he felt the move to Anfield came too soon. He wanted to keep developing at Rennes and felt that an intermediate step was needed before a move to any top club.
Jeremy Doku started his youth career at Beerschot before joining Anderlecht’s academy in 2012. The highly-rated forward spent six years in the club’s youth system before making his senior professional debut against Sint-Truiden back in November 2018, aged just 16.
Doku made only 5 league appearances in his debut season but he established himself in a more prominent role last term. He accumulated 3 goals and 4 assists in 21 outings for Anderlecht.
The teenager made a promising start to the ongoing Belgian Pro League campaign, bagging 2 goals and 4 assists in 7 games before moving to Rennes in October. (h/t Transfermarkt)
The 18-year-old’s stocks are currently soaring higher than ever following his latest heroics for Belgium. Doku made his debut for the national team as a late substitute in a 2-0 win over Denmark in the UEFA Nations League before capping off his first start with his first international goal as Martinez’s side beat Iceland 5-1.
Jeremy Doku has been held in high regard ever since his childhood days in Anderlecht’s academy. The 18-year-old’s recent emergence on the international scene comes as a timely reminder of his incredible potential.
That he made his senior league debut for Anderlecht at the tender age of 16 is indicative of a level of maturity that belies his tender years. There aren’t too many footballers from the elite nations in Europe who earn their first international cap at just 18. Doku has now joined the select group.
Liverpool have scoured the continent for exciting prospects like Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliott over the past couple of years in a bid to unearth the next gem. To that end, going for Jeremy Doku would be worth a shot.
The Reds don’t really need to make any wholesale changes to their forward line. The likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are widely regarded as the best goalscorers on the planet.
But it’s important for Klopp to keep an eye on the future. Hence, the English champions should try to get their hands on a promising youngster like Doku with a view to integrating him in the first-team mix over the next 3-4 years.
Jeremy Doku might not fit the bill as an immediate game-changer at Liverpool, who already have some world-class players in front of goal. Considering his vast potential though, the Reds would be smart enough to complete a deal for him in the future.