Liverpool fans have seen many players come and go over the years, some departures leaving little impact while others become painful reminders of what could have been. But right now, one story is quietly rising in France, a story that is forcing Arne Slot to look back at his first summer in charge of Liverpool with mixed emotions. The name at the center of this storm is Tyler Morton, a midfielder once considered just another academy talent but now proving himself in ways that are hard to ignore.
When Slot took over Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp, he inherited a squad that was strong but in need of renewal. Klopp had squeezed every ounce of energy out of his players, leading them to incredible highs, including Champions League glory and a Premier League title that broke a 30-year wait. Last season, Liverpool were still excellent, winning the league despite an early Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain. But Slot was never a man to stand still. He came to Anfield with fresh ideas, and one of his first actions was to reshape the squad, trimming the fat and bringing in players he felt could take the Reds into a new era.
That meant painful sales. Fan favorites left, fringe players moved on, and hidden gems were quietly shipped away in deals that didn’t grab the headlines. Among them was Tyler Morton, who was sold to Lyon in Ligue 1. At the time, few tears were shed. Morton, after all, had been on loan at Hull City and spent most of his Liverpool career fighting for scraps of game time behind names like Fabinho, Henderson, and Thiago. Even last season, under Slot, the defensive midfield spots went to Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch, while Stefan Bajcetic and James McConnell were viewed as the future. Morton, it seemed, was surplus to requirements.
For Slot, the sale was logical. The player wanted minutes, Liverpool couldn’t offer him that, and Lyon came calling. But football has a funny way of turning simple decisions into long-term regrets. Because just weeks into the new season, Tyler Morton is already making headlines in France—and not just in France, across all of Europe’s top leagues.
Squawka revealed a staggering statistic: no player in Europe’s top five leagues has made more penalty area entries or produced more accurate crosses than Morton this season. Think about that for a second. In a football world filled with wingers like Vinicius Jr., Bukayo Saka, Kylian Mbappe, and Mohamed Salah, it’s Tyler Morton, the kid Liverpool let go, who leads them all. Ten accurate crosses already. Twenty-nine penalty area entries. A midfielder, not a wide forward, doing the things you expect from elite attackers.
This isn’t just a purple patch. Lyon fans are falling in love with him. He’s been applauded off the pitch, his work rate and vision are drawing constant praise, and he’s adapting to Ligue 1 like he’s been there for years. For a player once seen as just a squad option, this is a rebirth.
The irony is sharp. When Morton was at Liverpool, he was mainly used as a holding midfielder, sitting deep and recycling possession. Klopp gave him some games, especially in cup competitions, but always saw Bajcetic as the one to eventually take Fabinho’s role. Injuries stopped Bajcetic from exploding, while McConnell is now trying to prove himself in the Netherlands with Ajax. Morton, however, has found a different path. Instead of sitting deep, Lyon pushed him slightly further forward, giving him license to move the ball into attacking zones and whip in crosses. And suddenly, the player Liverpool never really unlocked is showing qualities they desperately need right now.
Because here’s the truth: Endo is not getting younger. At 32, he has maybe one or two good years left. Gravenberch has shown flashes of brilliance but remains inconsistent. Bajcetic is still developing. And while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai bring creativity, neither has the type of crossing range Morton is currently displaying. In other words, Slot might have sold the one midfielder who could have offered Liverpool a completely new dimension.
When decisions like this come back to haunt managers, it usually stings most because the player left for cheap. Lyon didn’t pay a fortune for Morton. They got him for a price that reflected Liverpool’s view of his ceiling. And now, in a league filled with technical midfielders, he is outshining many of them statistically. That doesn’t mean he’s suddenly the best midfielder in Europe, but it does raise a huge question: did Liverpool underestimate what they had?
For Morton himself, this is redemption. He grew up dreaming of Liverpool, breaking through their academy with hope of becoming a regular at Anfield. But dreams in football don’t always align with reality. He found himself blocked by established stars, unable to prove himself fully, and eventually pushed out. At Lyon, he now has the stage to show the world what Liverpool missed. Every cross he delivers, every progressive run he makes, is not just helping Lyon—it’s a quiet message sent back across the Channel.
Slot, meanwhile, must be watcing. Managers don’t always admit regret, but they feel it. For all his authority and tactical intelligence, Slot is still learning what it means to manage Liverpool, a club with a unique relationship to its players. Fans forgive transfers that don’t work out, but selling academy talent that blossoms elsewhere cuts deep. Morton wasn’t just another signing—he was one of their own.
The story of Tyler Morton is not finished. This is just the start of his Lyon chapter. But already, he’s proving that the line between “surplus” and “star” is thinner than many realize. Football is full of these stories—Kevin De Bruyne leaving Chelsea, Mohamed Salah finding himself away from Stamford Bridge, even Philippe Coutinho leaving Inter Milan before exploding at Liverpool. Sometimes, players just need the right environment to bloom.
The biggest twist here is the role itself. Morton’s transformation from holding midfielder to chance creator is like a reinvention. Liverpool never tried him in this role consistently. Lyon did. And now they’re reaping the rewards. That’s the part that will sting for Slot and his staff. It wasn’t just that they sold Morton—it’s that they didn’t realize what he could become in a different role.
At Anfield, where fans track every former player, this story won’t go unnoticed. Supporters are already discussing it online, wondering why their club didn’t give Morton a bigger chance. They see Endo’s limitations, they see the lack of depth in certain games, and they see Morton shining in France. For a fanbase that prides itself on valuing youth and loyalty, the optics are not great.
But football never stands still. Morton will continue his journey, Lyon will enjoy his talent, and Liverpool will push forward under Slot. Maybe one day paths will cross again. Players return—just ask Raheem Sterling about Chelsea or even Jadon Sancho at Dortmund. For now, though, Liverpool must accept that a decision made for football reasons has turned into a story of what might have been.
Morton’s case is a reminder to all managers: sometimes the answer you’re searching for is already in your academy, already wearing your badge, already ready to step up. All it takes is the right role, the right belief, and the right timing. Liverpool may have missed that chance, but Lyon have seized it. And Tyler Morton, once a forgotten name at Anfield, is now a rising star in Europe.
The regret belongs to Arne Slot. The glory belongs to Tyler Morton.
