Wales began their Nations League campaign with a 1-0 defeat in Portugal, but the performance of Lewis Koumas gave Craig Bellamy’s side a source of encouragement. The 21-year-old Liverpool forward came close to changing the game in Lisbon when his close-range effort in the 74th minute was brilliantly blocked on the line by Manchester City defender Rúben Dias. For the Wales fans in Lisbon, it was a moment that briefly raised the prospect of a shock result against the defending Nations League champions.
With a number of key players absent at Estádio José Alvalade, Bellamy had hoped the contest would help Wales find “the next Harry Wilson”. After the narrow loss, he pointed to Koumas as a significant positive. Bellamy recalled exposing the forward to a similar challenge about two years ago in Turkey, and said: “I thought he was outstanding and I’m thinking, ‘he belongs here’.”
Koumas’s work-rate was described as contagious, while his quality on the ball appears to have advanced significantly compared with a year or so earlier. That progress helps explain why Andoni Iraola chose to keep him at Liverpool this season following previous loan spells at Stoke City, Birmingham City and Hull City. Bellamy underlined the significance of the decision: “They kept him on at Anfield. You don’t get the choice to stay… If they want to keep you, they keep you. It’s a difference.”
Within the Wales camp, Koumas’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Nottingham Forest full-back Neco Williams, who left Liverpool in 2022 in search of more regular minutes, knows how difficult it is to establish yourself at Anfield, and he has already seen enough to believe Koumas has a bright future. “His confidence is growing each game,” Williams said. “The more games he plays, the older he gets, the more experience he gets, he’ll become better and better. What I see with him is he’s improving all the time. He’s a workhorse, he doesn’t stop working, and they’re the type of players you want in your team.”
Koumas will have further chances to stake his claim in a Wales shirt during the first international window of the season, with games against Denmark and Norway to come. Wales visit Denmark in Nations League Group A4 on Sunday, 27 September at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. As the evidence of Koumas’s ability to shine for Wales continues to build, Bellamy appears to have the kind of talent he has been seeking in the young forward.