Curtis Jones has been the subject of some intriguing rumours pertaining to interest from Arsenal and his childhood allegiances, but he’s Liverpool born and bred.
The 22-year-old has grown in stature and importance once more for Jurgen Klopp this season, becoming a key cog in midfield and a reliable option after battles with unusual injuries.
At times he’s proved an easy target to direct frustrations at, but Jones continues to develop in an upward trajectory, and his manager recently lauded his off-ball work having “set the level” for “how it should look.”
The Toxteth native has thus recently seen his name linked to Arsenal as they hunt for a No. 8, with news aggregators quickly peddling the line that he was a boyhood Gunners fan – weird, we know.
It appears to stem back to a line in an article from The Athletic in 2019, when it was said Jones “had once told anyone willing to listen at the club’s academy that he was, in fact, an Arsenal fan.”
A cheeky declaration at best it seems, as Jones has readily voiced that he is Liverpool born and bred.
“It’s my boyhood club, I’m a Scouser, I’ve supported the club for the whole of my life,” the 22-year-old said when signing his latest contract in 2022.
The Times‘ Paul Joyce, in a intriguing piece on Jones, even made note to say that “contrary to erroneous rumours that he was an Arsenal supporter growing up, his allegiance has always been Liverpool and he always pretended to be Gerrard.”
The midfielder has been with Liverpool since under-nine level and played for his idol, Gerrard, when the former club captain took over as under-18s manager in 2017.
Speaking of Gerrard’s relationship with Jones, the former No. 8 told the Anfield Wrap: “I said to Jurgen ‘stay with this kid, whatever you’re thinking keep him and stay with him because he won’t let you down’.
“Once you get him right and you’ve fixed the few little things that you need to fix, he won’t let you down, he’ll be there for you. I think he’s showing Jurgen that now.”
A homegrown talent, a product of the academy and a player that is growing with every passing season, Liverpool will not relinquish Jones any time soon despite any absurd rumours to the contrary.
