Liverpool will end their long association with striker Paul Glatzel this month, with the 22-year-old leaving the club he joined at under-9 level.
Glatzel was once on the verge of a first-team breakthrough under Jurgen Klopp, but a serious knee injury on his ‘debut’ in the 2019 pre-season ended that.
The Liverpool-born striker was sidelined for 10 months after rupturing his ACL and, despite training with the first team and then impressing on loan at Tranmere, further problems have seen his hopes dashed.
Now, having proven his aptitude at under-21 level by signing a new one-year deal with the Reds last summer, Glatzel will depart.
According to Paul Gorst of the Liverpool Echo, he will join League Two side Swindon Town on a permanent deal, after more than 13 years at his boyhood club.
Glatzel joined Liverpool as an under-9, before progressing through the ranks to eventually captain the under-21s, through a prolific partnership with Bobby Duncan in the under-18s.
He will now look to begin his senior career alongside fellow academy graduates Tom Brewitt, Jake Cain and Tom Clayton at the County Ground.
He played alongside Clayton and Cain in the youth ranks, including when the young Reds won the FA Youth Cup by beating Man City in the 2019 final.
As part of Michael Flynn’s squad, Glatzel will compete with a former Premier League striker for a starting spot, with former QPR, Southampton and West Brom Charlie Austin captaining the club.
Swindon are currently 15th in League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and head to Crewe Alexandra in their next match on Saturday.
Glatzel will leave Liverpool with the best wishes of everyone at the club, having represented the Reds admirably during his time on the books.
On a practical level, he will remove another homegrown player from the Premier League side, with Vitezslav Jaros also joining Sturm Graz on loan this month.
