Andoni Iraola's Promising Academy Stars: McConnell and Koumas

Andoni Iraola may only be days into the job at Liverpool, but two names are already forcing their way into his plans: James McConnell and Lewis Koumas.

The Spaniard has walked into a dressing room packed with established internationals and big-money signings, yet it is a pair of academy products – previously on the fringes and loaned out for seasoning – who have made one of the strongest early impressions.

From loan afterthoughts to serious contenders

Under Arne Slot, McConnell and Koumas sat on the edges of Liverpool’s future. Useful, talented, but not trusted enough to carry the load.

McConnell, a 21-year-old midfielder with 13 senior appearances, was sent to Ajax in the summer of 2025. The message was clear: good prospect, not quite ready to play every week at Anfield.

Koumas, 20, found himself on an even looser tether. The Wales international, capable of operating wide or through the middle, managed just a single Liverpool appearance. His recent years have been spent bouncing between Stoke City, Birmingham City and Hull City, trying to prove he belonged at Premier League level. Slot did not use him once during his time in charge and turned to McConnell only four times.

Now the picture has changed.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Iraola has been “blown away” by the pair in his first days at the club and is seriously considering folding them into his first-team squad for next season. The interest in them is real – clubs want them on loan again – but Liverpool’s new manager may decide to keep them in-house.

Nixon reports that Iraola has “taken a shine” to McConnell and Koumas, noting that both players “seem to have come on since their time away from Anfield and are now getting serious respect.” For two players previously “farmed out for experience with varying degrees of success,” that shift in status is significant.

The pressure of a new regime often exposes who can cope and who shrinks. McConnell and Koumas, by all accounts, have walked towards that pressure.

A defeat that told Iraola plenty

Their rise comes against the backdrop of a sobering afternoon for Liverpool. On Sunday, Iraola watched his side lose 4-2 to Leeds United in a pre-season friendly, a game that swung sharply between encouragement and alarm.

He did not hide from the value of the exercise.

“I think we learn a lot of things,” he said afterwards. “Obviously it’s not the result you want but I think [it was] probably the most useful friendly we played – in a positive way in the first half and in a negative way in the second half.

“I think we’ve learned a lot from today and I think we can take good conclusions and solve some things.”

The first half offered control, cohesion and signs that Iraola’s ideas were already starting to take root. The second half stripped that comfort away. Leeds punished lapses, exposed flaws and turned a routine run-out into a sharp reminder of the work still to be done.

For a new manager, that kind of chaos is not entirely unwelcome. It tells you who can think under stress. It tells you who can run, recover, and respond when the game turns ugly. It tells you which youngsters are ready to step up.

Big names get minutes, but kids grab attention

There was plenty of focus on the marquee names making their first pre-season appearances. Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch all featured for the first time this summer, each playing 45 minutes.

“I think they did really good,” Iraola said. “They played their first 45 minutes.

“Obviously Florian and Alex, because they were playing in the first half, they had an easier game or a better game.

“Ryan, it was costly for him.”

The contrast was stark. Wirtz and Isak enjoyed the relative calm and control of the opening period. Gravenberch had to fight through the storm of the second half, when Liverpool lost their grip and Leeds seized momentum.

There was a minor scare when Jeremie Frimpong asked to come off, but Iraola moved quickly to ease any fears.

“Jeremie asked for the sub [but] I don’t think it’s an injury,” he said. “It was just some overload and I hope he’s not injured in that way. I don’t think we’ve lost anyone.”

So the headline signings are bedding in, the fitness levels are building, and the tactical framework is taking shape. Yet the real intrigue sits a little deeper in the squad.

Because while Wirtz and Isak will command the spotlight, it is the emergence of players like McConnell and Koumas that can transform the texture of a season. They offer energy, hunger, and crucially, options. They lower the temperature when the fixture list starts to suffocate a squad.

Iraola has seen enough already to consider keeping them close. The next few weeks will decide whether they go back out into the loan carousel or walk through the door into the heart of Liverpool’s season.

If their early impression is anything to go by, those decisions may not be as straightforward as they once seemed.