Rhys Williams has revealed the plan for him in the summer transfer window, with the Liverpool centre-back keen to avoid a repeat of his “eye-opener” at Swansea.
After rising to prominence for Jurgen Klopp last season, there was a keen desire to see Williams continue his upward trajectory with a loan spell in 2021/22.
Swansea was the chosen destination in the Championship, a club that had a good track record with Rhian Brewster and one with promotion hopes.
But the regular senior football he craved was not forthcoming, with the 21-year-old starting just five of his seven appearances before making a premature return to Liverpool in January.
And after settling back into first-team training and finishing off the season with the under-23s, Williams has outlined what’s next – and that includes another loan deal, a carefully chosen one.
“It wasn’t the way I saw it panning out,” Williams reflected on his loan in a insightful interview with Goal. “But I’ve tried to take as much as I possibly can from it.
“Football isn’t always going to go the way you want it to, so [Swansea] was an eye-opener to the other side, and it’s making me work even harder to make sure it doesn’t happen to me again.
“I just want to play as many games as I can,” Williams continued.
“I know that it’s far too soon for me to be thinking about getting ahead of these great defenders that we have, so the plan is to get a loan that works for me, to find a manager that will back me and trust me.
“The experiences of the last 18 months will help me. Swansea was disappointing but it’s gone now, and it doesn’t have to define me. I know what I can do and what I’m capable of.
“I just need a chance to show it now.”
That chance could again come in the Championship next season but the Reds will be eager to find a club that can allow Williams to prosper and continue his development, much like Sepp van den Berg has experienced at Preston.
