Allan Still Faces Work Permit Issues This Summer

Allan Rodrigues de Souza, or Allan for short (not sure if this is what he actually prefers or if this is just laziness from journalists), joined Liverpool Football Club from Brazilian side Porto Alegre in 2015 as a promising 18-year old midfielder.

However, his status as a Liverpool player is more theoretical than actual at this juncture. The now 20-year-old has yet to play a single competitive minute for the Reds, largely due to a steep battle to get a work permit in the UK. Instead, he’s been loaned out across Europe, first to Finnish side SJK, then to second division Belgian side Sint-Truiden, and finally a big step up in competition this season to Hertha Berlin, currently in 5th in the Bundesliga.

Now, according to Hertha, Allan’s year-long loan will likely not be enough for the youngster to earn enough points to automatically qualify for a UK work permit. The points system, revised as recently as two years ago to make it harder for players such as Allan to play and develop in England, bases its criteria off things such as the transfer fee, wages earned, international caps, and the team and league they are joining from.

Allan has only managed 12 appearances for the Bundesliga club this campaign, and only five league starts. And while he has played for Brazil’s U-20 team, for some reason he’s finding it difficult to crack into the national team picture. You know. For Brazil.

He would not be a player that could automatically walk into the starting XI, but he is one that Jürgen Klopp & Co. might be able to develop further.

Hertha, for their part, seem to be interested in extending the loan for another campaign. After Hertha’s 1-0 win on Saturday, their sporting director Michael Preetz explained, "Allan played well. What is striking: He never hides and always wants the ball, including in periods when he's not having the best time out there.

"He makes a case for himself with performance like on Saturday," adding, “[Hertha] will sit down with Liverpool in the summer."

So, while Liverpool suffer the consequences of the shit-kicking troglodytes at the FA, Hertha will likely get to continue to reap the rewards of a young up and coming player.