Liverpool academy director Alex Inglethorpe has signed a new long-term contract with the club, with plans to oversee the redevelopment of their youth facilities.Inglethorpe has held the position of academy director for over a decade, having been promoted from his previous role of U21s coach in 2014.In that time he has overseen significant change in the youth setup, not least with the introduction of a first-year salary cap of £50,000 a year and a focus on quality over quantity.With his previous deal due to expire at the end of the current campaign, Liverpool have moved to tie him down to a new long-term contract.The Athletic‘s James Pearce reports that this comes with the intention of overseeing a £20 million redevelopment of the youth facilities at the AXA Training Centre.Liverpool submitted a planning application for the redevelopment in September and works are expected to conclude in 2028, including:• An indoor dome built over the current main pitch• The artificial outdoor pitch replaced with grass• A new stand for up to 500 spectators• Further improvements to medical and sports science facilitiesInglethorpe’s role is a wide-ranging one and this redevelopment can be considered a marker of his influence on Liverpool since becoming academy director.During his time in the job there have been a number of academy success stories, not least with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Jarell Quansah and Tyler Morton stepping up to the first team.Liverpool have also recruited well from other clubs, most notably after new rules came in post-Brexit, denying further signings under the age of 18 from overseas.That saw a shift in emphasis with the club looking to bring in the best young talents from clubs in England, Scotland and Ireland, including Trey Nyoni, Rio Ngumoha, Ben Doak, Bobby Clark and Kaide Gordon.Inglethorpe’s son, 17-year-old striker Finn, has stepped up to the U18s squad this season and already scored four goals and laid on two assists in eight appearances.Though the academy director will remain, there has otherwise been significant change in the Liverpool staff in recent months, including new head coaches at U21s and U18s level with the appointments of Rob Page and Simon Wiles.