Q&AConor Bradley interview: New LFC contract, the story so far and wanting more

The 21-year-old signed a new long-term contract with the Reds at the AXA Training Centre to continue a boyhood Anfield dream he is currently realising.

Bradley moved to the Reds' Academy set-up from Northern Ireland in 2019 and has progressed to become a Premier League champion with 55 senior appearances to his name.

Moments after inking his fresh terms, the full-back sat down for an exclusive interview with Liverpoolfc.com to give his reaction – read on for the full chat...

Conor, congratulations. How did it feel to put your signature on that contract and know your amazing journey with this club is going to continue?

Thank you very much. I was just really proud. Obviously I've been at the club now [for] five years since I came over from Northern Ireland. To sign another contract, I'm very proud and happy to see what the next steps on our journey together will be.

When you joined the Academy in 2019, what did the young lad making the move over think was possible?

I dreamed of obviously being able to play for the first team and things like that, make my debut. I don't know if you know if it's going to happen or not, you're just hoping almost. But to achieve all the things I've achieved with the club to this date is pretty special and I just want to keep making more memories together and keep it going.

You made your senior debut in 2021 but the last two years have been massive for you. Have you had a chance to take stock of just what a ride it's been?

Not really, to be honest. You've just got to sort of keep going, you've just got to keep your head down and keep working hard. But it has been a fantastic two years. Especially since coming back from loan and doing so well last year and continuing that on this year. It's been really good. So, hopefully we can keep going and keep making more memories.

Has your life changed much in these two years?

Yeah, it's definitely changed. Just from being able to go outside and [now] people coming up to you, Liverpool fans, from every part of the world. It's crazy and just shows how big this club is and how it's such a privilege to play for this club.

And what's it like when you go back home?

Yeah, quite a few people know who I am now back home! It's special. There's so many Liverpool fans back home as well and obviously they're all just so happy and proud that I've been able to play for Liverpool and obviously do well for Liverpool as well.

Just looking back at the last few weeks, is your mind still racing through the memories from the title being sealed at Anfield?

That Tottenham game, I think, will forever be in my mind. It was so special just to see all the reaction from the crowd. Just the whole aftermath of it was unbelievable. It's definitely the most special day I've had playing for Liverpool Football Club.

Where were you for the last title win?

It was lockdown, wasn't it? So I was probably back home, back in Northern Ireland, probably going crazy at the TV as soon as we won it! I've supported Liverpool since I was a young kid, so I've had many memories and many memories of hurt watching Liverpool and being so close to winning the league. So whenever we won it in 2019-20, it was a great day. I think I was back home and celebrating it with all my family.

Having played a role in this title win now, how satisfying will it be to have a medal around your neck and hands on that trophy?

I think another thing you dream of when you're younger is getting your hands on the Premier League trophy and on a medal as well. I think it will be so special when we do get the trophy. Obviously all our hard work has been worthwhile and we've won the league, which is so good.

You've already made more appearances this season than you did in the previous campaign. Can you see how much you've developed in that relatively short space of time?

Yeah, definitely. I think more than anything I'm just growing into my body a bit more now. I feel a lot more physically strong, I feel quicker, I feel more powerful – and I think that's really helping me when I do play games. I think there's massive improvement from this time last year, and hopefully I can keep going on that trajectory and just keep getting better. I just want to keep improving, keep getting better every day. I just want to try to maximise whatever my potential is and try to be the best version of myself. Hopefully I can do that in the years to come and just keep getting better.

Are there any certain improvements you have in mind?

I probably want to add more assists and goals to my game – obviously I've had a few. But defending as well I want to get better [at]. To be honest, probably just everywhere. I just want to keep striving to be better at everything and just keep doing as well as I can.

You've captained your country already and there's plenty of leaders in this Liverpool team in place. Is that a trait you're looking to develop as well?

I feel like I'm a leader with my country but we've got quite a young team, so that makes it a bit easier. I want to develop into a leader here as well. Obviously we've got so many good and big voices at the club, but I want to develop into one of them and start helping ones younger than me or people older than me or whatever, just keep using my voice a bit more.

And what about Arne Slot? Is his style of play something you feel really well-suited to?

I've loved playing under it this season. It's been really good and I feel like it suits me really well, because I definitely feel like I've played better this season than I did last season. I feel like I'm improving under the new boss. It's been really good and hopefully it continues.

What's been his feedback to you?

Mostly good. Obviously he's given me places he thinks I need to improve [in] and that's really good because it lets me know where I need to improve. It's been really good and any time I've spoken to him he's been really good with me and been really helpful.

How well set up is this team to keep on winning things? You've got a meticulous head coach and a really talented squad already…

I think that's the main thing for us now – we want to make this continued success. We don't want to just have one Premier League trophy, we want to have multiple and we want to win Champions Leagues and FA Cups and Carabao Cups. We've just got to keep being hungry for more success and I'm pretty sure with the squad we have that we will continue to be that.

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Finally, what do you hope to achieve individually and collectively over the course of this contract you've signed?

To play even more games but also to win more trophies. I think the whole point of playing football is obviously to win trophies and be successful. So the more of them we can win, the better it will be for me and the whole team. Hopefully if we can keep doing that it'll be a good next few years at the club.