Ben Doak signs new long-term Liverpool contract

Liverpool have announced that teenage winger Ben Doak has penned a new long-term contract with the Reds.

The Scotland youth international was poached from the Celtic academy in the summer of 2022, by which point he had already made two appearances for the Bhoys' first team.

Liverpool are believed to have paid around £600,000 to bring Doak to Anfield, and he made an immediate impression at youth level with 11 goals and eight assists last season.

The winger started out in the club's Under-18 setup, but after coming up with two goals and two assists in his first four Under-18 Premier League matches, he was quickly bumped up the ranks.

Doak shone in the UEFA Youth League for the Reds' Under-19s, coming up with four goals and four assists from eight appearances as Liverpool lost to Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-finals.

In addition, the 2005-born starlet netted four goals and set up two more in 13 Premier League 2 games for the Under-21s, and he made his first team debut in an EFL Cup win over Derby County in November 2022.

Ben Doak has signed a new long-term contract with the Reds 🙌🔴

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 19, 2023

As a reward for his rapid development, Doak made his Premier League debut off the bench against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and he ended his debut campaign with five first-team appearances to his name.

The former Celtic man then played a prominent role in Liverpool's pre-season preparations, scoring in a 4-0 win over Leicester City before coming off the bench against Chelsea on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Despite his tender age, Doak has already earned two caps for the Scotland Under-21 team and started at centre-forward in a 1-0 Euros qualifying defeat to Spain earlier this month.

The winger will be in contention to make his first competitive start for Liverpool when the Reds face LASK Linz in their Europa League opener on Thursday, where Virgil van Dijk will also return from a two-game domestic ban.

However, Jurgen Klopp is sweating over the fitness of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago Alcantara, the former of whom is believed to be discussing a new deal with the Merseyside giants too.

Since the start of last season, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Stefan Bajcetic and Adrian have also signed contract extensions with Liverpool, although the latter's deal expires next summer.