What happened with Liverpool's Rhys Williams at Swansea City? Expert provides insight on Blackpool's latest recruit

A 6ft 5ins defender, Williams has already made 19 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s first-team but is now well down the pecking order at Anfield.

Williams, who joined Liverpool’s academy at the age of 10, has also been capped by England’s Under-21 side.

He spent time on loan in the Championship last season with Swansea City, making seven appearances in league and cup before being recalled.

Prior to that, the Preston-born man also spent time in non-league with Kidderminster Harriers.

Michael Appleton’s side created space at centre-back following Oliver Casey’s recent departure to Forest Green Rovers on loan.

Marvin Ekpiteta, Richard Keogh, Jordan Thorniley and Doug Tharme are their other current options in the centre of defence, while James Husband can also fill in there.

Williams will be hoping for a better campaign this time out after struggling to make an impact on loan with Swansea last season.

He featured in just seven games, starting five, and was recalled by Liverpool in January due to his lack of game time.

To find out what happened, The Gazette caught up with Wales Online’s Swansea City reporter Ian Mitchelmore to find out more.

How would you sum up Williams' loan spell at Swansea? It looks like he struggled to make an impact.

To put it bluntly, it didn't work out. But that is so often the case with young players heading out on loan during the early stages of their careers and by no means should be used to judge what is possible in the future. Swansea were in a transitional season under Russell Martin following the exit of Steve Cooper last summer and used a significant number of defensive combinations, particularly in the opening half of the 2021/22 season when Williams was at the club. It ensured he had little time to settle in and nail down a starting place, and he left having started just five times for the Swans.

Why did Liverpool opt to recall him in January?

He wasn't playing regularly at Swansea, and Liverpool explored the option of sending him elsewhere in January but ended up keeping him in their ranks. It's clear that he can truly ignite his career once he gets some regular action to his name. At just 21 years of age, he has plenty of time to develop and fully prove his worth. It is also claimed he was racially abused during Swansea's 3-3 draw at Luton Town in September, something head coach Russell Martin said had a significant impact on the player. Speaking about the player in November, Martin said: "Rhys understands that and I'm honest with the guys. We had another conversation last week about his position, and I think he understands, whatever happens, he'll go back to Liverpool better for this."

What sort of centre-back is he? What are his main attributes?

He was brought to Swansea due to his ability on the ball and willingness to play out from the back, however, rustiness combined with the aforementioned alterations at the back meant it was difficult for Williams to get used to combinations during his time at the club. Nevertheless, Russell Martin always praised the centre-back's attitude and regularly spoke about how impressed he was with Williams' mental and physical capabilities during adversity.

Do you think he's capable of playing regularly at Championship level?

With the right club and more consistency in terms of what goes on around him, yes. As much as Liverpool were ravished by defensive injuries during the 2020/21 campaign, you don't make 19 first team appearances in all competitions in a season under Jurgen Klopp if you don't have something about you.