In 2017, people remember Andre Wisdom mostly as a cautionary tale of young money and blind trust in technology, courtesy of the defender abandoning his £100k Porsche in a mud pit, following the decision to heed the advice of his GPS rather than watching the road. But back in 2012, Wisdom was a defensive stalwart in the making. Having impressed as a dominant centre-back for the Reds' youth side, he was handed his debut by Brendan Rodgers in the Europa League, a debut on which he promptly scored.
Featuring mainly as a right fullback, he established himself as a more defensively solid option to Glen Johnson, although those who had followed his career up to that point assumed the 6'1" U21 international would soon be moved back to his natural position, perhaps as soon as the following season, when he could begin competing with Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger for minutes.
Instead, Wisdom spent a season on loan at Derby County, accumulating solid Championship minutes, at right back. The following year, he went out on loan again, this time to West Bromwich, accumulating solid Premier League minutes, at right back. He sat mostly on the bench at Norwich while the events of the Kloppening took place, and in the German's first full season in charge, Wisdom was sent out on loan for the fourth consecutive season, traveling to RB Salzburg and the Bundesliga.
He's not done too bad for himself in Germany, making 21 appearances in all competitions, most of which have come at his natural centre-back spot. Murmurs around the Red Bull Arena suggest that the club would like Wisdom to return next year, but Liverpool are reportedly done with loan deals for their young defender, looking to broker a permanent deal.
Enter Derby County, who are reportedly willing to fork up the £5m Liverpool want, following a fan vote where a overwhelming 82% of the fan base said they'd love him back. It's not a bad deal for the Rams either, who look set to spend another season fighting for promotion. Wisdom has accumulated 120 senior appearances at the age of 23, is a true two-position player, knows the club, and is on reasonable wages. With Liverpool ready to deal, it is likely that we will see a permanent move take place this summer.
It is a shame that one of the club's brightest centre-back prospects in the last decade won't graduate to a regular first team player, but after four years of relocating every summer, it is time for Andre Wisdom to settle down.