After a previously quiet summer for Liverpool, it’s fair to say that things have picked up this week.
After adding a key component for the present with the signing of free agent Joe Cole to a lucrative deal, Liverpool have landed a future defensive star in snapping up Rangers defender Danny Wilson. Liverpool will pay £2m up front for the 18-year-old, and add-ons could see Rangers receive up to £5m total.
In his first interview with Liverpool’s official site, Wilson said,
“This is a massive challenge for me. This is one of the best leagues in the world and I will be playing for one of the biggest teams in the world.
“Coming here from Scotland, people may say I might not be ready for this, but that is a challenge I want to put on myself and that’s the reason I came here.
“Everyone knows about the history of this football club with 18 league titles.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision to come here as Liverpool are not a team who come in for you every day, so I can’t wait to get started.
“There were other clubs interested in me who are in the Champions League, but once Liverpool came in for me there was only one team I wanted to go to.”
Center back is an area where Liverpool aren’t short on depth at the moment, so Roy Hodgson will be able to ease Wilson into action. Given his left-footedness, Hodgson could decide to give him some opportunities at left back, though recent rumors have Liverpool linked with a move for Manchester City’s Wayne Bridge. Whatever the case, don’t be surprised if he quickly makes a name for himself, considering how far he’s come in such a short time.
Wilson, who captained Scotland’s U-19 squad and has eight caps for the U-21 side, made his first-team debut in October 2009 when he started in a League Cup tie against Dundee, and the next week, he became the youngest player to play for Rangers in the Champions League when he started against Unirea Urziceni. Wilson scored his first senior goal in a 4-1 win over Hearts in March, and he also assisted on a goal in a 3-1 win over Aberdeen in April.
Wilson’s rapid rise saw him scoop up Young Player of the Year awards from the Scottish FWA, the Scottish PFA, and the club’s supporters. And now, it’s seen him make the leap to the Premier League and one of the most storied clubs in football.
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