Swansea secure Rhys Williams on loan deal; player also agrees long-term contract with Liverpool
Swansea seal deal for Liverpool breakout youngster
Swansea City continued their reinforcement period under Russel Martin this summer after completing a deal for Liverpool center-back Rhys Williams in a loan deal for the duration of the 2021-22 Championship campaign.
Delighted to join @SwansOfficial for the season ahead. Can’t wait to get started!🦢⚪️#jackarmy https://t.co/gGwxhxA2pn
— Rhys Williams (@rhyswilliams01) August 31, 2021
The deal for Williams, a Liverpool academy graduate, can certainly be viewed as something of a coup by the Swans after the 20-year-old was thrust into the limelight last season amidst a torrid period of injuries that hit Jürgen Klopp’s squad.
Williams, an England U21 international, made 19-appearances in what was his debut season last term under circumstances that were hardly ideal. He handled them expertly despite the haphazard nature of his introduction to first-team football, in a season that included six appearances in the Champions League.
The Preston-native becomes the seventh signing of the summer for Swansea, joining Joël Piroe, Liam Walsh, Jamie Paterson, Kyle Joseph, Flynn Downes, and Manchester United youngster Ethan Laird.
Long-term future secured at Liverpool
Despite his loan away from Anfield this season, Williams also secured a long-term deal with Liverpool before heading off to the Liberty Stadium.
.@rhyswilliams01 has signed a new long-term contract with the Reds – and joined @SwansOfficial on a loan deal until the end of the season 🙌
All the best for the campaign ahead, Rhys 👊
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 31, 2021
The young center-back secured a fresh 5-year deal with the Reds that will see him remain on the books till 2026, which bodes well for a player who is looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow academy graduates Curtis Jones and Neco Williams.
“It’s also been a big influence for me to see some of my friends like Neco Williams and Curtis Jones go straight into the first team at Liverpool, it made me think I wanted a piece of that.
Then it was seeing the calibre of players I would hopefully one day play alongside, that’s been a big motivation for me to try and get to that level.”
A good loan period for Williams in the Championship would go a long way to bolstering his chances of coming back into the first-team fold for the long-term picture at Liverpool next term, with the club counting on Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konaté, and Nathaniel Phillips for the current campaign.
This article was edited by
Josh Barker.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | West Ham United | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | Manchester City | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 3 | -1 | 6 |
| 10 | Brentford FC | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | Watford FC | 3 | -2 | 3 |
| 13 | Southampton FC | 3 | -2 | 2 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 3 | -3 | 2 |
| 15 | Leeds United | 3 | -4 | 2 |
| 16 | Burnley FC | 3 | -3 | 1 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | 3 | -4 | 1 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| 19 | Norwich City | 3 | -9 | 0 |
| 20 | Arsenal FC | 3 | -9 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 2 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 2 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 2 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 2 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 1 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 1 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 1 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Schar, Fabian | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Djenepo, Moussa | Southampton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Cantwell, Todd | Norwich City | 0 | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 0 | 1 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 0 | 1 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 1 | 0 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United | 0 | 1 |
| Grealish, Jack | Manchester City | 0 | 1 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 0 | 1 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 0 | 1 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 5 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 1 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 1 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 1 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 1 |
| Grealish, Jack | Manchester City | 1 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 1 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 1 |
| Murphy, Jacob | Newcastle United | 1 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
