[article=http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2014/02/14/4617048/liverpool-hold-talks-with-chelsea-youth-chief]Liverpool have held talks with Chelsea youth chief Jim Fraser about taking charge of the club’s academy, Goal can reveal.
Anfield manager Brendan Rodgers, who knows Fraser from his own time in the Stamford Bridge youth set-up, recommended his former colleague for the vacant post on Merseyside.
Frank McParland was surprisingly sacked as Liverpool’s academy director in November, with the club stating they wanted to move in a new direction.
Goal understands that Fraser has been interviewed by Liverpool chiefs about succeeding McParland but he has not yet been offered the job.
Fraser has risen through the ranks at Stamford Bridge since joining from Swindon Town in 2004, and is currently academy director Neil Bath’s No.2 in the Chelsea academy.
Fraser oversees the age-group coaches from Under-9s to Under-16s level and is head of recruitment for Under-15s to Under-19s.
There is currently a void at Liverpool’s academy base in Kirby following the double-sacking of McParland and former academy technical director Rodolfo Borrell in November.
The pair had been credited with helping to kick-start the conveyor belt of talent from Kirby to the first-team squad at Melwood in recent years.
Raheem Sterling, Jon Flanagan and Martin Kelly established themselves in the senior set-up during McParland’s reign, while Jordan Ibe, Jack Robinson, Suso, Andre Wisdom, Adam Morgan, Conor Coady and Jerome Sinclair also made the leap from the Academy to the Liverpool first team.
McParland was appointed the new director of football at League One side Brentford two weeks after leaving Anfield.[/article]
