‘Something I wanted to be a part of’ – Liverpool have officially confirmed transfer of midfielder
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July 2nd 2026, 14:56 (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) Liverpool have officially confirmed the permanent transfer of Luca Stephenson to Bolton Wanderers on Thursday.The 22-year-old has been on the books at Anfield since joining at under-15 level and played for the Reds’ first team in a handful of pre-season friendlies, but he never made an official appearance for the Merseyside club.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYHaving impressed on loan at Dundee United for the past two years, the youngster has been poised to join the Lancashire outfit for a few weeks, with the Trotters reportedly having an offer accepted a month ago.Liverpool confirm Stephenson transfer to BoltonAt 2pm on Thursday, Liverpool announced on their official website that Stephenson has joined Bolton permanently, with the transfer finalised today as the Merseyside club placed on record their best wishes for him for the future.The midfielder spoke of his delight at signing for the now-Championship outfit (following promotion in May) as he told bwfc.co.uk: “The size of the club, the facilities here, the stadium, unbelievable.
Although it always feels anti-climactic when a player works his way up the age grades at the academy without making a first-team appearance for Liverpool, we’re very pleased for Stephenson that he’s earned a move to a club on the up where he should have a strong chance of regular game-time. He joins Bolton off the back of rave reviews for his performances on loan at Dundee United, whose manager Jim Goodwin hailed him as a ‘standout‘ player and one of the team’s ‘most consistent performers‘.
Realistically his chance at Anfield was unlikely to come, having never even been named in an official matchday squad for the Reds, and at his age (he turns 23 in September) it’s natural that he wants to put down roots at a club where he could plausibly have regular senior minutes. We wish him all the best for the remainder of his career – hopefully he’ll go and smash it at Bolton!