2 months ago
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Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Despite a late push by Barcelona to sign the 19-year-old on loan, Bajcetic is heading to Austria to reunite with Pepijn Lijnders.
When Stefan Bajcetic broke into Liverpool’s first team during the 2022-23 season, expectations were high that the teenaged midfielder would become a key part of the squad moving forward.
An adductor injury late in the season set him back, though, and the player missed more than a year of football and only made three appearances during the next season.
Now, what he needs in minutes, and to get him those the club and player have agreed a season-long loan to join RB Salzburg in Austria, where the 19-year-old will link up with former Liverpool assistant Pepijn Lijnders.
For those hoping to see him in Liverpool Red this season it’s perhaps disappointing, but manager Arne Slot says it’s minutes that matter for Bajcetic this season.
“He’s a very talented player and I think he could become a very important player for us, but only if he gets playing time now,” Slot noted. “If you are that young and you’ve been out for so long, the only thing you need is playing time.
“We’ve got six or seven very good midfielders, so his playing time here will always be more limited than at Salzburg. So for him and us, we think it’s best for him to play instead of maybe playing a few times and then being on the bench for a long time again.
“It’s very difficult to keep a player fit, who’s been out for 15 months when you only play him once in a while. So this is for the long term. Then for next season we’ll have a player, if he fulfils his potential, could definitely play for us.”
Barcelona made a late move to sign Bajcetic on loan in the final week of the transfer window, but the La Liga side’s financial difficulties made closing the proposed €4M loan difficult.
In the end, then, and after a slight delay, Salzburg and Lijnders would get their target. Salzburg have qualified for the Champions League and will be favourites to retake the Austrian league title this season.
