Having agreed a series of loan exits for players in the first 12 days of the January transfer window, Liverpool have now confirmed one permanent departure from Anfield.
The club’s official website announced on Friday that Paul Glatzel has ended his lengthy association with the Reds and signed for Swindon Town.
The 22-year-old joined LFC’s academy at under-9 level and worked his way through the age grades, captaining the under-18 side to FA Youth Cup glory in 2019 and being part of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad during pre-season later that year.
Liverpool’s current manager has given plenty of academy products a senior debut at Anfield, and Glatzel would surely have been among that list if it weren’t for horrendous luck on the injury front.
The striker had long spells on the sidelines due to knee and hamstring problems, while he also saw his pathway to the first team blocked by a cruciate ligament rupture ahead of the 2019/20 season (Liverpool Echo).
His tally of eight goals in six games in that FA Youth Cup triumph five years ago marked him out as a hugely promising talent, only for his aforementioned injury woe to prevent him from making the biggest leap of all to the senior side.
Glatzel turns 23 next month and is older than the likes of Harvey Elliott, Ryan Gravenberch and Jarell Quansah, who are all very much first-team players, so he’d have been honest enough to realise that the time was right to embark on establishing himself elsewhere.
After enduring more than his fair share of misfortune already in his career, we hope that the striker makes up for lost time and proves to be a smash hit for Swindon, who can be very thankful to have landed a goal-poacher of his ability. All the best for the future, Paul!