Pearce: Liverpool defender will ‘certainly depart’ at end of current contract | OneFootball

Liverpool’s evolving defensive picture continues to sharpen into focus, and one familiar name now appears central to a decision we are quietly approaching.

According to James Pearce of The Athletic, Liverpool’s centre-back department is “destined to change in the near future,” with several contract situations converging at once.

That context matters for Rhys Williams.

The 24-year-old Preston-born defender, who stepped up memorably during the injury-ravaged 2020/21 campaign, is now approaching a defining moment in his Anfield career.

Pearce notes that while first-team depth looks tight on paper, opportunities are not necessarily opening up where some might expect.

Williams future at Liverpool as centre-back plans take shape

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The Athletic report makes it clear that Williams is nearing the end of the road at Liverpool.

Pearce notes he “could leave on loan in the next fortnight and will certainly depart on a permanent basis when his contract expires at the end of the season.”

That aligns with what we have already seen under Arne Slot.

Despite injuries elsewhere, the academy graduate has featured in just one matchday squad this season, reinforcing the suggestion that he is not part of the immediate plans.

Williams’ recent loan spell at Morecambe at least brought consistent football.

Those numbers underline reliability rather than progression.

For a centre-half standing 197cm tall, dominance in the air remains a strength, but the broader development Liverpool now demand from that role has clearly evolved.

Why Williams context matters for Liverpool defensive rebuild

(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Pearce’s wider update also highlights how fluid the department has become.

Ibou Konate is out of contract in the summer, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have 18 months remaining, while Giovanni Leoni continues his recovery from an ACL injury.

That uncertainty explains why we have already explored options elsewhere, with attention shifting quickly to the likes of Ousmane Diao after Marc Guehi’s move to Manchester City.

It also explains why other reports suggesting that Liverpool could plausibly sanction a January loan exit for Williams despite an injury crisis, felt credible rather than contradictory.

Equally, recent discussion around other defenders being firmly on the radar only strengthens the sense that the pathway for our current youth options at centre back, is narrowing rather than reopening.

The comparison Pearce draws with past projects is instructive.

Liverpool’s track record with young centre-backs has been mixed, from Billy Koumetio failing to kick on to Sepp van den Berg developing through loans and generating significant profit.

Williams falls somewhere between those two outcomes.

He gave us vital service when we desperately needed it, but elite-level progression has stalled.

With Slot now shaping his second-season squad, difficult decisions are inevitable and this looks like one of them.

You can view Arne Slot’s post-Burnley press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobile