18-year-old Everton midfielder shares why he turned down the chance to join Liverpool

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It must be difficult at times being Everton in a city dominated by Liverpool.

The Reds are by far and away the more successful of the two Merseyside giants and have finished above their neighbours in each of the past 10 seasons. 16 of the last 18.

On top of that, Liverpool often attract some of the best players in the game, while Everton have to make do with a lesser standard.

Nevertheless, there are still times when the Toffees come out on top against the Reds. One such occasion has been outlined today by Everton youth team midfielder Halid Djankpata.

Speaking to figc.it as he prepares to play for Italy’s U19 team, Djankpata says that having moved to England from Italy with his parents in 2021, he was subject to a battle for his services. Both Liverpool and Manchester City reportedly wanted to snap him up from non-league Droylsden. But the 18-year-old chose the Blues.

“In the end I chose the Toffees,” Djankpata says. “Because, in addition to being fascinated by their history, they presented me with the project that I thought was most suitable for me.”

Djankpata outlines Reds rejection

Sometimes, it does indeed benefit to be a smaller club. Whereas Djankpata likely saw many obstacles to his pathway at Liverpool, there are surely less at Everton.

The Reds boast one of the best squads in world football. As Djankpata is a midfielder, the club is currently stacked with talent in his position.

That isn’t just in the first-team, either. With the likes of the ‘very special’ James McConnell coming through the ranks, competition is fierce even at youth level.

You can see why that might not appeal to a young player coming from a different country.

At Everton, there will also be plenty of talented youngsters jostling with Djankpata for minutes in the team. But it stands to reason that the quality may be slightly lower.

When trying to burst into senior football, you’ve got to lower the odds of making it any way you can.

For now, it looks like this young midfielder is doing a good job of that. Born to Beninese parents in Togo before moving to Italy, Djankpata has caught the eye of the Azzurri for his performances with Eveton.

Not many players turn down Liverpool and come not to regret it. But if it leads to him having a career in the game, then perhaps it was worth it for Djankpata.

You’d hope so anyway, because now playing for one of the Reds biggest rivals, he’s unlikely to get an offer from Anfield again.