Exclusive: ‘Firmino-esque’ Brewster has chance of playing Liverpool first-team football next season and can make a Tammy Abraham progression

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Empire of the Kop asked some questions to the excellent Sioned Dafydd, a TV journalist and presenter who covers Swansea extensively, to find out just how good Rhian Brewster has been since his January loan to the Welsh club.

It would be fair to say she’s been fairly impressed!

And you can check out her answers, below:

Rhian Brewster seems to be doing a pretty good job at Swansea – nine goals already in the Championship! What kind of signing has he been and what’s he been like!?

Rhian has been an invaluable asset to us at the Swans this season. When you’re a young player coming from a team like Liverpool it’s never easy joining a club on loan because you always arrive with a lot of pressure on your shoulders from day one, especially if you’re a striker. Some fans expect a lot from you and that can be difficult for young players. But that hasn’t been the case with Brewster. He hasn’t been phased at all. He’s looked comfortable with us since day one and I think his relationship with Steve Cooper has been a massive help in terms of helping him settle in. The fact that he’s scored 10 goals for us in 20 appearances is fantastic and I’ve personally really enjoyed watching him play for us. He’s come on in leaps and bounds and his confidence has grown massively as the season has gone on. I may be a bit biased saying this (!?), but I think Swansea is an excellent club when it comes to nurturing young talent. One of the best examples I can think of is Tammy Abraham. He was fantastic for us when he joined us on loan and now he’s impressing everyone at Chelsea. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Brewster followed a similar path. I definitely think we’ll see him in a Liverpool shirt playing for the first team in the future. 

 

How has his relationship been with the fans – is he someone who has embraced the culture of the club – even though his deal is temporary?

Well his first start was in the infamous South Wales derby against Cardiff so talk about a baptism of fire! Considering that was his first game he did brilliantly, and the Swans fans took to him instantly. I remember seeing heaps of praise for him on social media after the Cardiff game. Since then I’ve honestly never heard a Swansea fan say anything negative about Rhian and even though he’s only been with us since January he’s been an integral part of this Swans squad and our journey to the play-offs. It looks like he’s really enjoying life in South Wales and I think you can see that in his performances on the pitch. I also think the fact that Swansea has such a young squad has been a great help. We have one of the youngest squads on average in the EFL and a lot of our players have come from our academy so we don’t have any big egos or difficult personalities in our dressing room which can be intimidating for young players. They look like a group of mates when they’re on the pitch and Rhian looks like he’s loving it. 

 

What are the attributes that makes Brewster a potentially prolific forward now and in the future – what kind of player is he (as you guys will now have seen more of him than us!)? 

First of all, he’s full of energy and has a fantastic work ethic, both on and off the pitch. In terms of what kind of player he is I think he would fit perfectly into Liverpool’s system because his pressing has been impeccable. He’s definitely got that Firmino-esque energy about him as he’s able to drop into spaces in front of the back four to help build up the play. He can also be a nightmare for defenders to deal with because of his movement in and around the box. Brewster’s also scored a variety of goals for Swansea this season. The first goal he scored for us against Boro after the league restarted was a perfect example of his ability to find spaces in the box and how he’s able to link up brilliantly with other attackers. Him and Andre Ayew have worked really well together this season. In contrast to that goal he then scored that 30-yard screamer that he scored for us against Reading on Wednesday to help us get into the play-offs which is definitely a contender for goal of the season!

 

Would you like him back at Swansea on loan again next term – or do you think Liverpool will push to get him a Premier League loan switch – or does he have the capacity to play minutes up top for Jurgen Klopp’s champions?

I’d personally love to have him with us again next season. I know he’s fond of Steve Cooper having worked with him in the England set-up and I honestly believe that Swansea is one of the best places for him to be at the moment. If we do end up getting promoted to the Premier League then that would be even better for his development as I think a loan spell with a Premier League club would benefit him massively. I can definitely see him playing for Klopp’s Liverpool in the near future but a young player like Brewster needs to be playing consistently if he’s to keep on improving like he has done this season. I wouldn’t want to see him just sat on the bench. 

 

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