Rhys Williams (born 3 February 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Blackpool, on loan from Liverpool.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2001-02-03) 3 February 2001 (age 21)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Preston, England[2] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.95 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back[3] | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Blackpool (on loan from Liverpool) | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 201?–2019 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019– | Liverpool | 9 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Kidderminster Harriers (loan) | 26 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | → Swansea City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2022– | → Blackpool (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2019– | England U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 2019– | England U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2020– | England U21 | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:59, 27 October 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:11, 13 November 2020 (UTC) | |||
Williams was born in Preston, Lancashire.[3]
Williams joined Liverpool's academy aged ten[4] and won the FA Youth Cup with the their youth team in 2019.[5] He joined Kidderminster Harriers on loan in August 2019.[6][7]
In September 2020, Williams signed a long-term contract with Liverpool.[8] He made his first-team debut for the club in the EFL Cup on 24 September 2020, against Lincoln City, partnering Virgil van Dijk in central defence.[9][10][11] On 21 October 2020, Williams came on as a 90th-minute substitute against AFC Ajax in the UEFA Champions League.[12] He made his second Champions League appearance the following week, where he came on as a 30th-minute substitute against FC Midtjylland after an injury to Fabinho. Liverpool went on to win 2–0, with Jürgen Klopp praising his performance after the game, saying to the press, "He did well, everything looks promising."[13] On 4 November 2020, Williams played the full ninety minutes in a Champions League tie at Atalanta, keeping a clean sheet in a 5–0 win. On 16 December 2020, he made his Premier League debut with a start in a 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur.[14] On 8 May, he slotted back alongside Nat Phillips in a 2–0 win over Southampton.[15] He went on to play every game in the heart of the defence for Liverpool as they finished third.[citation needed]
On 31 August 2021, Williams signed a new contract with Liverpool and joined Swansea City on loan, initially to last until 30 June 2022, but Liverpool recalled him on 20 January 2022.[16]
Williams's next loan move was to Blackpool, on 19 July 2022, for the duration of the 2022–23 season.[17] He made his debut for the club in a single-goal victory over Reading at Bloomfield Road on 29 July.[18]
Williams played for the England U18 team between March and May 2019, and was called up for the England U-19 team for the International Marbella Cup in October 2019.[19]
On 5 October 2020, Williams received his first call-up to the England U-21 squad,[20] and made his debut during a 3–3 draw against Andorra on 7 October 2020.[21]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 2019–20 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| Total | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||
| Kidderminster Harriers (loan) | 2019–20 | National League North | 26 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 1 | ||||
| Swansea City (loan) | 2021–22 | Championship | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 36 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 1 | ||
Liverpool Academy
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Blackpool F.C. – current squad | |
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