[article]Rhys Williams is excited by the chance to showcase the confidence and experience gained from his breakthrough at Liverpool during his loan spell at Swansea City.
The
20-year centre-back has joined the Swans for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, subject to international clearance.
The move comes on the back of a 2020-21 campaign where Williams – who
has Welsh family connections –
made 19 appearances for the Reds and impressed amidst their well-documented defensive injury crisis.
Six of those outings came in the Champions League, while he also started the final five games of the Premier League season as Jurgen Klopp’s side secured a top-four finish in the run-in.
His performances were highly praised by the German manager, and Williams is ready to bring those experiences to SA1 as he eyes regular football under head coach Russell Martin.
“I am buzzing, I have heard nothing but good things about the club and the manager from a few of the lads back at Liverpool, so I am delighted to be here,” said Williams, who played in a 4-2 win at Old Trafford last term, as well as against a Tottenham side featuring Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
“I am looking forward to getting some good results on the board and keeping us moving forward.
“I spoke to a few players about it, and they all spoke so highly of the football and the place itself, it’s a club with a good history behind it.
“I was keen to come here, it was one of the places I wanted to come to because of the football they play.
“I believe it will stand me in good stead for next season.
“Obviously last season was important for me. No-one could have been prepared for last season, especially me, with all the injuries suffered by centre-backs.
“The last five games of last season were described as five finals so I knew if I could do something good there, I would have put myself in good stead.
“It was a once in a lifetime experience and I hope I can take what I learned and show that here. I have played against some good players, and every game comes with a different challenge, so I hope that shows in my time here.
“I am looking for regular football and I hope I can find that here at Swansea.”
Williams
knows the likes of Ethan Laird, Morgan Whittaker and Joel Latibeaudiere from his time in the England age-grade set-up.
And he
becomes the first Liverpool player to make a loan switch to Swansea since his former Reds’ academy product Rhian Brewster.
Striker Brewster made a big impact with his 11 goals in 22 appearances and, while Williams’ contribution will inevitably be different in nature, he would love to make a similar impression at his new club.
“If I get anywhere near as many goals as Rhian did that would be a miracle,” said the defender with a chuckle.
“But I hope I can make the same impact because he did brilliantly when he came here.
“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."[/article]
