Gary McAllister Calls for Liverpool to Sign Harry Wilson on Free Transfer
Gary McAllister knows the value of a free transfer at Liverpool better than most. Now he wants his old club to repeat the trick – this time with a familiar face.
Harry Wilson, once the great hope of Liverpool’s Academy and now a seasoned Premier League winger, is set to leave Fulham at the end of the month after failing to agree a new deal. Five years at Craven Cottage have yielded 187 appearances, 36 goals and 46 assists. At 29, he is walking away for nothing.
McAllister, who arrived at Anfield for free in 2000 and became a key figure in Liverpool’s cup treble under Gérard Houllier, believes the club should be at the front of the queue.
“He’s a really interesting one,” said the former Scotland international, who watched Wilson closely during his time working around the club. “He’s been coached in the Liverpool way, and he always caught the eye when you were around Anfield.”
Wilson’s story is a familiar one on Merseyside. A standout in the youth ranks, a regular name whispered around the Academy, but never quite given the runway into the first team. He made just two senior appearances for Liverpool, his path instead defined by a carousel of loan spells: Crewe Alexandra, Hull City, Derby County, Bournemouth, Cardiff City, then Fulham, where a temporary move became permanent.
What he has done since leaving, though, is build a serious career.
For Wales, Wilson has 69 caps and featured in all three of their games at the last World Cup. For Fulham, he has grown into a reliable, creative right-sided attacker, comfortable drifting inside, threading passes and chipping in with goals.
McAllister sees the same player he first noticed as a teenager at Kirkby – only now hardened by years in the top flight.
“I watched Harry from a very young age, and the performances you’ve seen at Fulham are very similar to what I saw when he was playing for the youth team at Liverpool,” he said. “With his passing range, his ability to get a goal, and his work-rate, he’s becoming a very complete player.”
That completeness is why the market has stirred. Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Everton have all been strongly linked with a move for the Welshman, who can slot straight into a Premier League front line without adaptation time or risk.
The timing is intriguing for Liverpool. Mohamed Salah has departed, leaving a huge hole on the right of the attack, and Hugo Ekitike faces a long spell out with injury. A club that once produced Wilson now finds itself short in precisely the area he occupies.
The pressure to refresh the forward line is real. So is the temptation to look abroad, to chase the next big thing. McAllister, speaking to Grosvenor Casino, argues that the answer might be far closer to home – and cheaper.
“So, it’s no surprise there’s interest, as he’s up at the end of the season, and I’m sure there will be a lot of takers. Liverpool should be one of them,” he said.
This is not nostalgia talking. McAllister is adamant Wilson now belongs at the sharp end of the division.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, Harry is a top-end Premier League player now,” he added. “He has been on the international stage for his country as well, and he’s been fantastic there. I’m really pleased for him because he’s a very hard worker.”
The equation is simple. A right winger, in his peak years, proven in the league, steeped in Liverpool’s methods, available on a free. The competition is circling.
Liverpool must decide whether the one that got away is exactly the one they need now.
