Liverpool U23 player Billy Koumetio sent on loan to Austria Vienna
Liverpool have announced on their official website that 19-year-old centre-back Billy Koumetio has completed a loan move to Austria Vienna.
The Liverpool U23 player has been sent to the Austrian Bundesliga to gain valuable minutes and first-team experience. It will hopefully aid in his development in the months to come.
The French national joined the Reds’ academy in 2018 and has predominantly featured for the U23 side. He made his first-team debut in a Champions League game against FC Midtjylland in the 2020/21 season.
Koumetio featured again for the Anfield club in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals against Leicester last season. It is fair to say that he still has some way to go before making the cut at the senior level at Anfield.
The French national has been a big part of the U23 side as he helped the team finish 4th in Premier League 2. The young defender featured 24 times for the Reds’ U23 side last season.
Gaining valuable first-team experience
Koumetio hasn’t had many opportunities as Jurgen Klopp has been flush with defensive options. Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez have been adept in holding the line this season and injuries haven’t been a major issue either.
Standing 1.95m tall, the 19-year-old will be looking to replicate what his compatriot has done at the club. Konate has shown his qualities at Liverpool this season in the few appearances the 23-year-old has made.
Koumetio will hope to get a chance in the future to show his qualities and make a name for himself in Merseyside. This move to Austria could just be the beginning of his story at Anfield.
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For now, a move to a team that can give him first-team football is crucial and the Reds will hope he can get that in Austria. Gaining valuable top-flight action in a decent league could help him gain the necessary experience needed to grow and learn.
With Matip and Van Dijk both 30 years old, who knows, maybe in the coming years, Koumetio will be able to establish himself alongside fellow Frenchman Konate in Liverpool’s backline.
