Luca Stephenson has explained his decision to leave Liverpool on a permanent basis this summer, saying he had little choice after three seasons out on loan. The 22-year-old joined Bolton Wanderers in a £750,000 deal at the start of last month and is set to make his debut in this weekend's Carabao Cup clash with Sheffield Wednesday.
Loan stints and first-team prospects
The versatile defender impressed during two pre-season campaigns under former Reds head coach Arne Slot and earned plaudits in temporary spells at Barrow and Dundee United. However, with a first-team breakthrough at Liverpool considered unlikely, Stephenson admitted he had to be honest with himself.
"I have racked up more than 100 games now but they have all been on loan," he said, as quoted by the Bolton News. "This is a permanent club, so it's a little bit different."
A straightforward choice
Stephenson described the move as a straightforward decision, despite the challenges of joining a new club. "It was a straightforward decision, but it's something I still had to think about. It's always difficult coming into a new club and meeting hundreds of new people, but obviously knowing a couple of the boys that were already here has helped since that came in, so it's been good."
He added: "I just like playing games. I love playing games, I love playing men's footy. Was I going to get that at Liverpool? The answer is probably no. That's just the honest reality of it."
Desire for regular football
Stephenson acknowledged that game time at Liverpool would have been limited. "Would I have got as many games as I would have wanted playing for Liverpool? Probably not. I just want to play games, I want to play week in, week out. I want to go and express myself in front of big crowds and big games, which we're going to get this year in the Championship. So, I jumped at the opportunity."
