The 23-year-old has not been involved in The Reds’ pre-season tour of America and has instead been training in the youth setup at Kirkby. His last appearance for Liverpool came in the final match of the 2020/21 season, having been sent on loan to multiple clubs since then.
He has appeared for Swansea City and Blackpool in the EFL, but last season saw him fail to play a single game at senior level. The opening stint of the season saw him head to Aberdeen, where he only played one game for the U21’s side in a Challenge Cup loss to Peterhead.
Williams was then sent to Port Vale in January but was sent back to Anfield following a back injury at the start of the following month. The England youth international last played senior football for The Tangerines against Watford in early 2023.
The Athletic reports that ‘several’ League One sides are interested in the defender for a move away, as well as clubs in Turkey. Despite having two years left on his current deal, it seems that new boss Arne Slot is willing to let the centre-back leave the club alongside fellow academy graduate Billy Koumetio.
Williams made the jump to the Liverpool side following the injury crisis that struck the club just a year shy of their Premier League title win. Alongside former Cardiff City player Nat Phillips, the pair held their own until the first-team options returned from their fitness issues.
He has found himself slipping down the pecking order in defence and the new Dutch manager at Anfield opted to take former Preston North End player Sepp van den Berg, Phillips and Luke Chambers to the United States at centre-back alongside Jarrell Quansah.
Writer’s View
Rhys Williams seems to have no future at the Premier League giants so a move away will be best for all involved. At 23, he should be a starting player somewhere and League One seems to be his level. He was not particularly favoured at Swansea or Blackpool. Port Vale did seem to be a good choice in January but his back injury curtailed any chance he had to impact their season.
Peterborough United, whilst being at the top end of the third tier, could be a good choice if he had the chance. They are in need of a rebuild at centre-back following the sales of Ronnie Edwards and Josh Knight and Williams could be an asset to Darren Ferguson’s men. He has shown promise whilst at Liverpool, but with his last contributions being nearly four years ago, it will be a concern with the lack of game time he has got since.
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