Arne Slot has reaffirmed that Stefan Bajcetic’s long-term future lies with Liverpool, despite the teenager’s recent loan move to Red Bull Salzburg, which was finalized on transfer deadline day.
Bajcetic, who had attracted interest from at least five Spanish clubs, including his former club Celta Vigo and Barcelona, ultimately chose Salzburg.
The move reunites Bajcetic with Pep Lijnders, whose influence was crucial in fast-tracking the 19-year-old into Liverpool’s first team during their time together at Anfield.
Earlier, Lijnders played a key role in securing Bobby Clark’s permanent transfer to Salzburg from Liverpool in a deal worth £10 million.
Slot emphasized that the loan deal for Bajcetic does not include any obligation for a permanent transfer.
He remains confident that Bajcetic can become a top player for Liverpool.
However, he stressed the importance of regular playing time for the youngster after spending nearly 18 months dealing with injury issues.
“I hope it will be a big year for him because he’s a very talented player because he’s been out for 15 months and I think he could become a very important player for us, only if he gets playing time now,” Slot said.
“If you are that young and you’ve been out for so long, the only thing you need is playing time.
“He could have playing time over here, but we’ve got six or seven very good midfielders, so his playing time here will always be more limited than we expect him to play at Salzburg.
“So for him, and us, we think it’s the best for him to play at the moment, instead of maybe play a few times and then be on the bench for a long time again.
“It’s very difficult to keep a player fit who’s been out for 15 months to only play him once in a while.”
Slot added: “So this is for the long term.
“Again, this club has been smart, in my opinion, in the past, for not only looking for the short term, but also the long term.
“It’s a smart decision, at least in our opinion, to let him go somewhere, where he will hopefully play a lot of games.
“Then for next season, we’ll have a player, if he fulfils his potential, could definitely, definitely play for us in the future.”
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