Liverpool have signed goalkeeper Jamie Stephens from Swindon Town for an undisclosed fee. The 16 year old will become part of the Liverpool Academy at Kirkby until 2012 and will sign a professional contract on his 17th birthday. Stephens had been monitored by Rafa Benitez over the last few months and had a 5 day trial at the start of March to be assessed by the Reds coaching staff. Benitez, Kenny Dalglish, goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero as well as Pepe Reina and Diego Cavalieri all met with the player, and the club were impressed enough by his trial to sign him permanently. Stephens said of the move:
“The Academy is unbelievable. They have so many staff, everyone is so polite and kind, it’s really friendly, like a family club.”
Liverpool right back Stephen Darby recently joined the Robins on loan and a good relationship has developed between the two clubs. Swindon chairman Andrew Fitton commented on the Stephens transfer and the Liverpool connection:
“This is a great opportunity for Jamie. George Wood (Swindon Town goalkeeping coach) recognised his talent immediately and did a great job developing him. Being such a specialist position, the opportunity to go to an Academy like Liverpool is the right move for him and will give him the chance to play in tournaments all over the world. You can expect to see more interaction between Swindon and clubs such as Liverpool with talented players such as Stephen Darby coming on loan to help in their career development while we leverage the resources that only the big clubs have. I hope that one day Jamie Stephens may come back to Swindon, maybe on loan from Liverpool, and get his first taste of league football at The County Ground.”
