Lewis Koumas congratulated by former boss – who aims dig at Liverpool transfer

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Tranmere Rovers’ Vice Chairman had a little dig at the deal that took Lewis Koumas to Liverpool. The teenager just signed a new contract.

Lewis Koumas signed a professional contract with Liverpool this week. The 17-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Under 18 level, converting into a striker and scoring regularly.

Koumas is now tied to Liverpool for the foreseeable future and what could be a very bright one. That latter fact clearly bites those at Tranmere Rovers, however.

Nicola Palios, vice chairman at Tranmere, took to Twitter to congratulate Koumas. She applauded him while making sure to point out he used to play at the club.

“Congratulations to former Tranmere Rovers academy player Lewis Koumas on his first LFC contract,” she wrote.

A fan then mentioned it was a shame he couldn’t stick with the club, to which Palios sarcastically called it “the joys of EPPP.”

EPPP refers to the ‘Elite Player Performance Plan’ in English football. The process allows for youngsters to swap clubs before professional level at a fixed fee. The fee depends on how many years they’ve spent at a club since the age of 9.

The plan came into effect back in 2012 and allowed for Koumas to join Liverpool for a minimal fee at Under 11 level.

Lewis Koumas to Liverpool deal

It’s very easy to see why this would generate bitter feelings. Liverpool found a local youth player with real talent and plucked him up for themselves, not really needing to worry about the fee.

The EPPP is there to ensure that the most talented youngsters are playing the highest standard of football. It also weights the talent distribution massively towards rich clubs, however – even at youth level.

And so if a club like Tranmere can develop a young talent to a high level before he’s professional, a Premier League side can easily scoop him up for pocket change. As happened with Koumas.

For Liverpool and, admittedly, Koumas, it’s fantastic and he’s well on his way to becoming a Premier League player. Fro Tranmere, though, there’s going to be bitterness – and we can all understand why.