Gary McAllister urges Liverpool to re-sign Harry Wilson

Gary McAllister knows the value of a free transfer at Liverpool better than most. Now he wants his old club to repeat the trick.

The former Reds midfielder, a transformative Bosman signing himself back in 2000, believes Liverpool should be firmly in the race to re-sign Harry Wilson this summer, with the Wales international set to leave Fulham at the end of his contract.

Wilson, 29, will be available on a free after failing to agree new terms at Craven Cottage, ending a five-year spell in west London that brought 187 appearances, 36 goals and 46 assists. Those are the numbers of a player who has grown into a reliable Premier League performer, and McAllister is adamant Liverpool should not stand back and watch others pounce.

Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Everton have all been strongly linked with the right winger, but McAllister believes Liverpool’s name belongs in that conversation, especially with Mohamed Salah gone and Hugo Ekitike facing a long-term absence.

“He’s a really interesting one,” said the ex-Scotland international. “He’s been coached in the Liverpool way, and he always caught the eye when you were around Anfield.”

Wilson certainly knows the place. He came through the Academy at Kirkby and was long tipped as one of its brightest attacking talents. Yet his senior Liverpool career never truly caught fire: just two first-team appearances, broken up by loan spells at Crewe Alexandra, Hull City, Derby County, Bournemouth and Cardiff City before he finally moved to Fulham, initially on loan and then permanently.

For McAllister, that early promise has simply been confirmed at top-flight level.

“When I was doing bits and bobs for the club, you’d hear about the young players coming through, and he was one of the standouts,” he recalled. “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.

“With his passing range, his ability to get a goal, and his work-rate, he’s becoming a very complete player.”

The numbers and the eye test line up. Wilson has developed into a clever, left-footed creator from the right, dangerous from distance and from set pieces, willing to press and graft without the ball. That profile suddenly looks highly relevant at Anfield.

The pressure on Liverpool’s recruitment team is obvious. Salah’s departure leaves a gaping hole on the right of the attack, both in terms of output and aura. Ekitike’s injury strips away another option. A player who already understands the demands, the environment and the expectations would ease some of that disruption.

For McAllister, Wilson fits that bill and then some.

“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.”

Wilson’s case is strengthened by his international pedigree. He has 69 caps for Wales and featured in all three of their matches at the last World Cup, carrying his club form onto the global stage.

Speaking to Grosvenor Casino, McAllister did not hold back on his assessment.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, Harry is a top-end Premier League player now. 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.”

A hard-working, left-footed right winger, available for nothing but wages, with Liverpool DNA and peak years still ahead of him. Other clubs have already sensed the opportunity.

The question now is whether Liverpool are prepared to listen to one of their shrewdest former free transfers and bring another one through the door.