Latest news with #PuskasAkademia
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool signing finally makes debut alongside wonderkid after return from Asia tour
Two Liverpool summer signings made their first appearances for the club's Under-21s on Saturday as it played out a 0-0 draw against Hull City's youth team. The Under-21s have no official fixtures confirmed yet for the upcoming season, with the Premier League still to make an announcement on the schedule for the Under-21 league, but in the meantime, the underage side has played four summer matches. After wins over Celtic and Lens, plus a draw against Wigan Athletic, Liverpool hosted Hull on Saturday. In total, 21 players featured for Rob Page's side, with all 10 outfielders changed after an hour. Goalkeeper Armin Pecsi was the only player to manage the full 90 minutes. READ MORE: Liverpool goalkeeper suffers nightmare start to loan after controversial penalty in heavy defeat READ MORE: Liverpool confirms appointment of 'highly regarded' Man Utd coach The Hungarian joined the Reds from Puskas Akademia earlier this summer and was one of seven new arrivals this window to travel with Arne Slot's first-team squad on the pre-season tour of Asia. But Pecsi, who has come in mainly to play for the Under-21s and strengthen the backup group supporting Alisson, didn't play a single minute of the matches against AC Milan and Yokohama However, as featured in the 5-0 win over Stoke City, Saturday's outing against Hull wasn't his first in a Liverpool shirt. Another summer signing, Will Wright, did make his bow the Reds. His move from Salford City was only completed this week, and he is also expected to play for the Under-21s this term. The 17-year-old had attracted interest from Arsenal, but opted to remain in the north-west. Fans will certainly keep an eye on the forward's progress this season given his high-profile transfer. Meanwhile, several other familiar names were on show for Liverpool on Saturday at the AXA Training Centre. Calvin Ramsey and Lewis Koumas were among the starters, while Amara Nallo, Kieran Morrison and Kaide Gordon came off the bench. The Under-21s will be hoping for an improved campaign in 2025/26 and finished 16th in a 26-team league last term. Page's appointment is seen as a coup for the academy, with Simon Wiles confirmed as Under-18 head coach on Friday. Speaking in a recent interview with Liverpool's club website, Page spoke of his excitement to return to the club game. 'They [Liverpool] have had difficult moments over the years [at youth level] and even more so recently, and seeing the club react to it all together, the connection between the players, the supporters and the staff has been incredible. This is a very special club. 'For me to come back into development football at a massive club like Liverpool – who smashed the Premier League last season, seeing what they have done in the transfer window again – and work with some of the younger talents here and try to help develop top players into the first-team environment or help them to go on and have careers elsewhere, it was definitely an exciting option for me.'
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool's relationship with Hungarian football continues to blossom
Hungary was not Milos Kerkez's birthplace, but it is where he became a footballer. At 15, he moved from Austria to Hodmezovasarhelyi in the south of Hungary, and made a decision: "If I get to a good enough level, I want to represent Hungary's national team." That decision today looks prophetic. Advertisement Kerkez is now Hungary's first choice left-back, has already played more than 100 senior club games, and this season made many people's Premier League team of the year - all at the age of 21. He is also not the only Hungarian moving to Liverpool. This summer, Liverpool have not just signed Kerkez, but also Armin Pecsi - a 20-year-old goalkeeper from Puskas Akademia, the club closest to Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's heart. The symbolism is impossible to ignore: the most storied club in England tapping directly into Orban's £3bn football project. Liverpool's history with Hungarian players has been patchy at best. Advertisement Istvan Kozma joined in 1992 but never settled. The highly rated trio of Krisztian Nemeth, Andras Simon and Krisztian Adorjan flattered but faded. Even Peter Gulacsi, now among Europe's elite goalkeepers, was once just 'the other keeper' behind Pepe Reina and Brad Jones. But Kerkez - like Dominik Szoboszlai before him - is the product of a very different Hungary. In the past decade, the Hungarian Football Federation has begun building a modernised system to become a sophisticated footballing outfit. It is not only about money - though Orban's vast investment has played its part. It is about momentum and method. Data-led development, better coaching pipelines, and a renewed sense of national pride have combined to give young players real pathways. Advertisement Kerkez has followed that pathway. With AZ he saw the vision. At Bournemouth, he chose the project, not the prestige. Now, he is moving to the Premier League champions and one of the biggest clubs in the world. For Liverpool? Well, the Hungarian market is beginning to bear very different fruit.
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Liverpool's relationship with Hungarian football continues to blossom
Hungary was not Milos Kerkez's birthplace, but it is where he became a 15, he moved from Austria to Hodmezovasarhelyi in the south of Hungary, and made a decision: "If I get to a good enough level, I want to represent Hungary's national team." That decision today looks is now Hungary's first choice left-back, has already played more than 100 senior club games, and this season made many people's Premier League team of the year - all at the age of is also not the only Hungarian moving to Liverpool. This summer, Liverpool have not just signed Kerkez, but also Armin Pecsi - a 20-year-old goalkeeper from Puskas Akademia, the club closest to Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's symbolism is impossible to ignore: the most storied club in England tapping directly into Orban's £3bn football history with Hungarian players has been patchy at Kozma joined in 1992 but never settled. The highly rated trio of Krisztian Nemeth, Andras Simon and Krisztian Adorjan flattered but faded. Even Peter Gulacsi, now among Europe's elite goalkeepers, was once just 'the other keeper' behind Pepe Reina and Brad Kerkez - like Dominik Szoboszlai before him - is the product of a very different the past decade, the Hungarian Football Federation has begun building a modernised system to become a sophisticated footballing is not only about money - though Orban's vast investment has played its part. It is about momentum and method. Data-led development, better coaching pipelines, and a renewed sense of national pride have combined to give young players real has followed that pathway. With AZ he saw the vision. At Bournemouth, he chose the project, not the he is moving to the Premier League champions and one of the biggest clubs in the Liverpool? Well, the Hungarian market is beginning to bear very different to get news alerts on your Premier League club
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'A no-brainer for Liverpool to bring in this level of talent'
Hungarian football expert Bence Bocsak says Liverpool see new signing Armin Pecsi as a "potential future number one goalkeeper".Pecsi, a nominee for the 2025 Golden Boy award, made 30 appearances for Puskas Akademia last season as they finished second in the Hungarian top flight, before the 20-year-old's move to Anfield was confirmed last week."You only have to look at the Golden Boy nominations to see how big a prospect he is," Bocsak told BBC Radio Merseyside's Chris Coughlin."It's a no-brainer for Liverpool if you can bring in this level of talent. When you look at his stats, he's prevented 14.33 goals during the whole of last season - remarkable statistics for a goalkeeper. If you can bring him in for this amount of money, it is a really good deal for Liverpool."He's still only 20 years old. Everyone I've spoken to about him has spoken really highly of his character and mentality."Despite the departure of Reds number two goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher this summer, Valencia's Giorgi Mamardashvili will join the club in July to compete for the number one shirt with established first choice Alisson."It will be a big change going from being first choice at one of the biggest clubs in Hungary to probably being third choice at Liverpool and playing for the under-21s, but I think it is a challenge he's very much prepared for," Bocsak added."Mentally he knows he's in it for the long term - it is a big picture move for him. I think £1.5m in this modern era is nothing for any player, let alone a 20-year-old who is this highly rated."Liverpool have done really well because there were some other big clubs sniffing about. There were a lot of big European clubs interested but Pecsi chose Liverpool because he really liked what they sold him and, from what I understand, they do see him as a potential future number one goalkeeper."Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
EXCLUSIVE: Wonderkid will join Liverpool first team in pre-season
20-year-old Armin Pecsi will be arriving from Puskas Akademia this summer and linking up with fellow Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai in the first team. He's probably one of the club's most exciting young talents, and the only nominee Liverpool currently have in the top 100 rankings for the Golden Boy award. Advertisement It's expected that the Reds' new wonderkid will initially be playing for the club's U21 side as he adjusts to the demands of English football. However, Anfield Watch understands that for the beginning of the pre-season, Pecsi will be joining the first team and he will be part of Slot's preparations. This means he could get a chance to make his unofficial debut for the club, if the need arises to use more than two goalkeepers with Alisson Becker and Giorgi Mamardashvili currently ahead of him in the pecking order. In pre-season, Liverpool often rotate goalkeepers, so this is a possibility. Advertisement Last summer, Slot used three goalkeepers during the preparations with third choice Vitezslav Jaros playing three games during pre-season, including 28 minutes against Sevilla, when Alisson Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher were both available. It's expected Jaros is going to depart on loan with Ajax currently the frontrunners to sign him. This will open up a space for Pecsi to claim the number three spot and thus potentially make his debut for the Reds' first team. The club have high hopes for Pecsi and regard him as Slot's third choice keeper. While, he will be playing mostly U21 football next season, which is a step down for somebody who has over 50 first team appearances under his belt, the expectations is that he will be training alongside Mamardashvili and Alisson, to learn the ropes and this is very much a step up. Advertisement As a third choice goalkeeper, he could even get a chance to make his debut for the Reds' first team in a rare circumstance if both Alisson and Mamardashvili are injured. This occurred last season, too, with Jaros playing against Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Brighton in the League Cup. In the long-term, Liverpool envision Pecsi to be a first choice goalkeeper. That is why they have invested £1.5m on him, which makes him the second most expensive Hungarian goalkeeper behind Peter Gulacsi.
