Liverpool have been brilliant since Jurgen Klopp's appointment in 2015, and while the first-team have been the stars of the show, there's a sense that the German's presence has permeated across the footballing institution, with the youth ranks seeing an upswing too.
The likes of Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen have graduated from the club academy over the decades, but of late, the Premier League side is seeing a constant flow of precocious talent cascading into the senior side.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the most creative players in the world and was appointed vice-captain this summer, while Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic are prodigious starlets to have impressed across the maiden phase of their Liverpool careers after moving to Merseyside at a very young age.
Curtis Jones, aged 22, is a Scouse-born star and an impressive, rounded midfielder, but he has not always found success on Merseyside, often on the periphery due to lapses in form and ill fortune with injuries, but after a crucial role in the latter phase of the 2022/23 term, he may well be growing into his skin.
How much is Curtis Jones worth?
According to CIES Football Observatory, Jones is valued at roughly £26m at present, though if he manages to continue the purple patch at the business end of last season, that value may well balloon over the coming months and years.
Despite making 99 appearances for the Anfield side, scoring 11 goals and assists apiece, Jones struggled to leave his mark over the past few years, having missed 26 matches due to injury across the past two years alone.
But now he looks to be growing into his skin and will be hoping to continue to make the increments this season, having started in the Premier League against Aston Villa during a 3-0 win last time out.
How good is Curtis Jones?
In January, when Liverpool were at their nadir and shipping goals in abundance, pundit Gabby Agbonlahor claimed that Jones is "not good enough", but the £15k-per-week dynamo would soon prove his worth.
Indeed, despite spending much of the first half of the season injured and out of contention, Jones would start all 11 of Liverpool's final Premier League fixtures of the term, scoring three goals and supplying an assist, paramount to the purple patch that allowed Klopp's side a route into Europe when even that looked unattainable at one stage, so profound was the peril of Liverpool's position.
As per FBref, the 6 foot 1 star ranks among the top 7% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 4% for pass completion, the top 15% for progressive carries, the top 2% for touches in the attacking box and the top 14% for tackles per 90.
Last season, pundit Paul Merson said: "I quite like Curtis Jones, but he's not a name, is he? He's not a £60m-£70m player. I like him. I think he does a good job and he doesn't let you down. But he's not a superstar."
Well, he doesn't need to be. Jones is thriving in an industrious midfield role and could yet see his valuation rise closer to Merson's remarked figures, with one analyst & scout proclaiming him to be the "complete #8".
Liverpool hit the jackpot on a player brought through the youth ranks, not costing the club a penny. And while his current market value of £26m is not the largest on the scale, his performances demonstrate a growth in both maturity and mentality, and in all likelihood, that figure will grow very soon.
