England's hidden gem who can become Serie A's next McTominay by leaving Liverpool

Analysis

Suraj Radia | Editor

There have been few better redemption arcs than that of Scott McTominay since joining Napoli and one Liverpool star could emulate the midfielder by moving to Italy and becoming the star of his own fairytale.

McTominay left the Premier League in 2024 to join Napoli for €30.5 million to little fanfare after being seen as a capable but perhaps limited player during his time at Manchester United.

Yet McTominay’s first year proved unbelievable to even the most ambitious dreamer as the Scottish international led Napoli to a historic Serie A title with incredible performances that saw him win the league’s Most Valuable Player award for the season.

McTominay even saw himself nominated for a Ballon d’Or after boasting 12 goals and four assists for Antonio Conte’s title winners, completing a dramatic turnaround from being a middling Premier League player to a titan of Italian football.

Crucially, McTominay built a pathway for Premier League players to follow by displaying a different type of ambition and taking the opportunity to move abroad to secure a bigger role in a potentially less-prestigious team and league.

It is a story that Curtis Jones may take inspiration from this summer as the Liverpool midfielder reaches a crossroad of his own which may go on to define his entire career.

Curtis Jones: Liverpool’s homegrown gem that is crying out for a clear role

Jones joined Liverpool as a nine-year-old and the Toxeth-born midfielder has gone onto make more than 200 appearances for his boyhood club, winning six trophies along the way.

Yet Jones has rarely been considered as anything more than a squad player during his time in the first team and has made most of his appearances from the bench or only when regular starters were unavailable.

It was a similar story for McTominay, with both he and Jones often being used as a ‘utility man’ capable of filling in all across the pitch, knowing that a homegrown young talent will always be happy to just play at all for his dream club.

Except, in Jones’ case, he is not a young prospect anymore and recent reports emerged of the 25-year-old being ready to leave Liverpool this summer in search of being ‘the main man’ elsewhere.

Jones has played in 30 of Liverpool’s 34 Premier League games this season but he has started just 14 of those – down from the previous campaign where he was named in the line-up for a career-high 19 matches.

Tellingly, a number of Jones’ appearances this season have come at right-back despite Liverpool’s midfield often struggling for form in a disappointing campaign and the Englishman boasting some standout stats that put him among the league’s elite passers.

Indeed, Jones is one of the top two midfielders for completed passes per 90 minutes as well as passing accuracy percentage and carries per 90 minutes, among stars such as Rodri, Moises Caicedo and Rayan Cherki in those categories.

The stats indicate that Jones has a huge talent capable of playing a big role in top-level midfields but the evidence suggests that Liverpool manager Arne Slot may not be convinced by the player’s credentials to start that position for the long-term.

However, with Jones’ contract set to expire in 2027, Liverpool will need to convince their number 17 that he has a big future at Anfield or be forced to reluctantly cash in on an important player this summer.

What does the future hold for Curtis Jones?

As it stands, while neither Jones or Liverpool have made any firm decisions over their long-term plans, the player is set to explore his options after already having strong interest in him in recent months.

Tottenham had explored a move for Jones during the January window before they bought Conor Gallagher and Aston Villa are understood to be monitoring his situation, while Inter had a loan-to-buy approach rejected by Liverpool in the winter.

Liverpool are not believed to be against Jones’ departure and only rejected the approach as they didn’t want to lose him mid-season but they would certainly be open to any deal if they could receive a fee close to his €49m Expected Transfer Value (ETV), all of which would represent as ‘pure profit’ on their books.

While remaining in England may prove tempting to Jones, joining another Premier League team may not represent the step up he is seeking, as dictated by teammate Harvey Elliot’s disappointing loan to Villa which has seen him play just four times all season.

Although it remains to be seen if Inter revive their interest, a move to the Serie A could provide the ‘main man’ opportunity that Jones is seeking, instead of hoping for something that may not come at Liverpool or in the Premier League.

Curtis Jones’ dream team to become an international superstar

SciSports, who use data-driven analysis to assess a player and his transfer status, believe a transfer to the Serie A to be the four best options available to Jones, even ahead of staying at Liverpool.

However, one team stands above them all – ironically, it is suggested that a move to Napoli to play alongside McTominay would be the strongest fit for Jones with a rating of 87 out of 100.

Napoli are set to fall short of retaining their Serie A title, with Conte’s side sitting second, and Jones would be a long-term successor to the likes of Stanislav Lobotka and Frank Anguissa, both of whom are in their thirties.

Jones’ passing ability would also pair well with McTominay’s energy and runs into the box, while the presence of Kevin de Bruyne at Napoli will only enhance the Liverpool man’s performances and ability.

Milan, Juventus and Roma are also suggested as good backup options for Jones if a move to Napoli doesn’t materialise but a move to any Serie A side would ultimately do wonders to Jones’ pedigree and international credentials.

Jones is set to miss out on a place in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the 2026 World Cup and, having only received six caps so far, a bigger role in a title-challenging team could be exactly what he needs to progress his England career.

Although an impasse has been reached for Jones, the decision could not be simpler and the time has come for the Liverpool lad to spread his wings and match McTominay in becoming his own man by writing his own story and destiny.

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Written by

Suraj Radia | Editor

Suraj Radia is an NCTJ-qualified journalist and editor with more than a decade of experience at some of the biggest sportsdesks and press agencies across the industry. He has been a regular freelance contributor to FootballTransfers since April 2022.

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