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Isaac Christie-Davies joins Liverpool: Who is the ex-Chelsea midfielder?

Isaac Christie-Davies spent nine years in Chelsea's academy

We profile Isaac Christie-Davies, the 20-year-old midfielder who has joined Liverpool after reaching the end of his contract with Chelsea.

Christie-Davies spent time on trial at Liverpool in March and confirmed his move to Anfield on Monday.

He will be expected to join up with their U23 squad initially, but could Christie-Davies challenge for a first-team place under Jurgen Klopp? Here's all you need to know about him.

Chelsea beginnings

Christie-Davies played for his hometown club Brighton as a boy but made the move to Chelsea at U11 level, where he became known as a box-to-box midfielder with a knack for scoring goals.

He made his debut for Chelsea's U18s when he was still an U15 player in 2012/13, and went on to become a regular starter, scoring 12 league goals in the 2014/15 campaign. He was part of the U18 squads which won the FA Youth Cup in 2015 and in 2016. He was also a part of the U19 side which retained the UEFA Youth League in 2016.

Isaac Christie-Davies came through the youth ranks at Chelsea
Image: Isaac Christie-Davies came through the youth ranks at Chelsea

Christie-Davies stepped up to Chelsea's U23s after that, playing regularly in the Premier League 2 and gaining senior experience in the Checkatrade Trophy, helping Chelsea reach the semi-finals last year. He was handed a one-year contract in 2017 but reached the end of that deal this summer

He heads to Liverpool having never made a first-team appearance for Chelsea.

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Solanke example to follow?

Christie-Davies will meet at least one friendly face at Liverpool in his former team-mate Dominic Solanke. The pair played together in the same age group at Chelsea from the ages of 11 to 19, when Solanke made his own move to Anfield in similar circumstances.

Liverpool's Dominic Solanke during the Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Anfield
Image: Dominic Solanke featured for Liverpool's first-team last year

Christie-Davies will hope to take inspiration from his old team-mate's impact last season. Solanke made 27 appearances for Jurgen Klopp's side in total and scored his first goal for the club in their 4-0 win over Brighton in May. There was even a senior international debut for England in their 0-0 draw with Brazil back in November.

International allegiance

Christie-Davies represented England at U16 and U17 level, but having not been called up to higher age groups, he made the decision to switch his allegiance to Wales.

In May, he was called up to Rob Page's U21 squad for the first time for a friendly double-header against Georgia. Christie-Davies started the first game, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and came on as a half-time substitute in the second, which finished 2-2.

Christie-Davies will now hope to be involved in the second half of their Euro 2019 U21 qualifying campaign. After six games in Group 8, Page's side sit fourth, needing to make up a six-point gap on second-placed Portugal with four games to play.

Common Goal

Christie-Davies is the latest of a growing number of footballers to join Juan Mata's Common Goal initiative, in which players give one per cent of their salary to charity, and he even used the platform to announce his move to Anfield.

In a video in which he is wearing a Liverpool shirt, he said: "I'm really excited about my move to Liverpool. It's a real honour to move to such a big club. I hope to be the very best footballer I can be and play the very best football I can for the club and for the fans."

Christie-Davies joins the likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Mats Hummels, Kasper Schmeichel and Shinji Kagawa in signing up for Common Goal.

He added: "As footballers we have a big responsibility because we are in a very privileged position. We can use this position to make a positive change by helping others that are less fortunate than us. Football can be a positive tool in addressing inequality and discrimination."

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