Why Liverpool should sign Stefan Bajcetic with one eye on the future
According to the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool are in negotiations with Celta Vigo over a potential transfer swoop for teenage defender Stefan Bajcetic ahead of the January window.
As per the report, Premier League rivals Man United are also understood to be in the race to sign the 16-year-old but Liverpool are currently in pole position to bring the young centre-back to the Premier League.
The Reds, however, face a race against time in wrapping up a deal for Bajcetic as the new Brexit regulations will prohibit clubs from signing overseas players under the age of 18 when the United Kingdon officially leaves the European Union at the end of the year.
Bajcetic joined Celta Vigo’s youth system seven years ago and has earned rave reviews for his impressive development through the ranks. His exploits across various age-groups have put him on the brink of the Spanish club’s first-team squad. The teenager, though, is yet to make a senior competitive appearance and might not get a chance to do so, with a move to Anfield on the verge of completion.
The imminent arrival of Stefan Bajcetic at Anfield comes as yet another instance of Liverpool’s willingness to improve the quality of their production line at the youth and reserve level. The 16-year-old is yet to have a taste of senior professional football but has already shown enough potential to catch the eye of some elite clubs.
Liverpool’s rigorous efforts behind the scenes to promote young talent from the academy to the first-team ranks have been largely overshadowed by their heavy spending in the market over the past couple of years. But the results have clearly underlined the smooth functioning of the club’s youth system.
Trent Alexander-Arnold remains a role model for all the young talents at the club with aspirations of making the grade at the senior level at Anfield. Despite stiff competition for places in the first-team, Jurgen Klopp hasn’t been hesitant to offer the academy starlets with substantial game time in recent seasons.
The likes of Rhys Williams, Neco Williams and Curtis Jones have all featured prominently in the Champions League this term. Others like Harvey Elliott have shown significant progress on loan elsewhere, meaning Liverpool look well on course to producing a whole generation of quality players from their own youth system.
Having said that, Stefan Bajcetic could also earn a chance to represent Liverpool at the senior level if he continues his development down the right path at Anfield. The Reds have a couple of young centre-backs in the form of Billy Koumetio and Sepp van der Berg knocking on the door of the first-team while teenager Rhys Williams is now very much at that level.
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Verdict
A potential deal for Bajcetic, to that end, would represent yet another exciting addition to the pool of up and coming talents at Anfield. The 16-year-old still has quite a long way left in his development curve but given his potential, Liverpool will be hopeful of getting the best out of him with some proper polishing in the years to come.
