Liverpool's Transfer Deadline Countdown: Assessing Gambian Talent Bajaha

Liverpool’s countdown to the transfer deadline has begun, and Andoni Iraola has just six days to shape a squad he actually believes in.

The Spaniard was the club’s first-choice successor to Arne Slot after a dismal 2025-26 campaign, and his arrival was supposed to jolt Anfield back to life. His high-octane, aggressive style looked tailor-made for a restless fanbase. Instant impact was the expectation.

Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle told a different story. The intensity was there in flashes, but the control, the cohesion, the ruthlessness? Still missing. The gaps in this Liverpool squad remain obvious, and with the window closing fast, decisions can no longer be delayed.

This is now a now-or-never stretch for several deals. Names have swirled around Liverpool all summer, but talk no longer counts. With less than a week left, the club either moves or watches targets disappear.

Sporting director Richard Hughes and Iraola do still have time to act. One or two smart additions are still realistic if they push hard enough. And one potential piece of the future has already walked through the door.

Gambian talent spotted at Kirkby

An African prospect has been seen at Liverpool’s training base, and the club are taking a close look.

Gambian midfielder Musa Jatta Bajaha, formerly of BST Galaxy and now on the books at Swedish side Öster, is on trial with the Reds. He posted an image on his Instagram story standing beside Dominik Szoboszlai’s locker, a snapshot that underlined just how seriously Liverpool are assessing him as a possible addition to their academy.

It fits a long-standing pattern. Liverpool’s academy has long been one of the club’s defining pillars, a conveyor belt that has produced top-level players across generations. From local icons like Steven Gerrard to a steady stream of first-team contributors, the pathway from Kirkby to Anfield has shaped the club’s identity as much as any big-money signing.

Right now, Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha are viewed as the standout talents in the youth ranks, both expected to feature under Iraola this season. They represent the next wave, and there is real belief around the club that they can handle the step.

But the landscape has changed. Rival Premier League academies are aggressively stockpiling young talent, recruiting globally and investing heavily in development. Liverpool cannot stand still. Strengthening the academy is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity.

That’s where Bajaha comes in.

Rebuilding the pathway

The Gambian teenager is being assessed to see whether he has the quality to join the club’s youth setup and grow into a player capable of eventually stepping into the first team. Liverpool are exploring whether he can be part of the next generation that fills the gaps without the club having to spend heavily every summer.

That approach contrasts sharply with the recent Slot era. Under Slot, academy players struggled to break into the starting XI, and the sense of a clear pathway from youth to senior football faded. The club increasingly looked outward, leaning on the market to cover holes instead of trusting the next wave.

That is a risky strategy for a squad already considered thin. Liverpool do not have an endless pot of money, nor a surplus of saleable assets they can afford to move on. They cannot simply trade their way out of every problem.

So the recruitment of young talents such as Nyoni, Ngumoha, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Samuel Martinez carries real weight. These are not just prospects; they are part of a long-term plan to ensure that when senior players move on, the replacements are already in-house, already schooled in the club’s demands.

If Bajaha impresses during his trial, he could be the next piece of that puzzle. A midfielder with promise, arriving at a time when Liverpool’s need in that area is glaring, he represents exactly the sort of low-cost, high-upside move that can reshape a squad over time.

Six days remain in the window. Iraola needs midfielders now. Liverpool also need midfielders for tomorrow.

Whether Bajaha is good enough to be one of them is what the club is about to find out.