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Liverpool's Will Wright reacts after failing to score during the second of two pre season friendly football matches between Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao at Anfield(Image: AFP)

Will Wright has spoken for the first time as a Liverpool player after joining the Reds from Salford City.

The 17-year-old snubbed interest from Arsenal in favour of completing an initial £200k move to Anfield.

The teenager made his first appearance in a Liverpool shirt for Rob Page’s Under-21s side on Saturday, before his transfer was officially confirmed by club clubs on Monday.

The striker was then handed an unofficial first team debut by Arne Slot when he was introduced as a substitute in the Reds’ 3-2 pre-season win over Athletic Bilbao.

Meanwhile, he was denied a maiden goal in front of the Kop after being played in by Federico Chiesa, only for goalkeeper Unai Simon to keep out his near post strike.

Ahead of his appearance for the first team, Wright took to Instagram to share his pride at joining the club.

“A proud moment for me and my family to announce I’ve signed for the Premier League champions!” he wrote on Instagram, tagging Liverpool as he shared pictures of the forward signing his contract and posing with his family in a Reds shirt.

He would post again after featuring against Athletic Bilbao as he shared pictures of his saved chance and introduction in place of Florian Wirtz.

Salford’s head of academy, Jamie Russell, had previously shared his delight for Wright at joining Liverpool.

“We are absolutely delighted for Will to complete his move to Liverpool after a very successful season as a first year scholar,” he told the League Two outfit’s club website.

We’ve only been Category 3 ourselves since 2023, but in that time to see 17 players make men’s team debuts and to have interest in a number of players from clubs higher up the leagues is testament to the job that the coaches, the staff, and the recruitment team here are doing.

“It is clear that we have a pathway here at Salford, and there is a platform for players to come in from grassroots, learn, and perform to fulfil their potential.

“Of course we don’t want to just sell our best players, we want to see them stay here, do well, reach the men’s team and be successful for the club, but when moves like this happen it’s also a time to celebrate the player and their achievement, and the success of the work that’s been put into helping their development.”

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Meanwhile, in their official club statement announcing Wright’s departure, Salford also explained why they had sanctioned his exit.

It read: “Salford City FC is pleased to confirm that it has reached an agreement with Liverpool to sign academy player, Will Wright.

“The club received a significant offer from Liverpool which was in the best interests of both Salford and Will, who joined our academy in October of 2023.

During his time at the club the 17-year-old enjoyed a prolific spell in his first year as a scholar and scored over 40 goals.

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“In addition he made his senior debut in the Emirates FA Cup as a substitute at Manchester City, followed by his league debut at Port Vale to join the likes of Kelly Nmai and Kyrell Malcolm in making his debut while still an Under-18.

“All of us at Salford City wish Will the very best in his future career, and we hope to see him continue to develop and thrive!”


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