Liverpool have activated their recall option to end Stefan Bajcetic‘s loan at Salzburg, with the midfielder now spending the rest of the season in his native Spain.
Bajcetic came off the bench in Salzburg’s 4-1 loss to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, marking the end of their Champions League campaign after just one win in eight games.
It was the youngster’s 19th appearance for the Austrian club, but also his 11th off the bench, with a lack of substantial game time causing concern.
Liverpool clearly felt it was not enough to aid Bajcetic’s development, with the club withdrawing him from his loan spell at Salzburg before the end of the transfer window.
He has instead joined Las Palmas for the remainder of the campaign, arriving in a side battling relegation from La Liga around the midway point.
Las Palmas were one of Liverpool’s three Spanish opponents during pre-season, which likely boosted relations between the two clubs when it came to negotiations over Bajcetic’s move.
He should take up a key role in Diego Martinez’s midfield following injury to Jose Campana and the departures of Fabio Gonzalez and Ivan Gil.
There are a number of familiar names in the Las Palmas squad, including ex-Man United prodigy Adnan Januzaj, the Scottish duo of Scott McKenna and Oli McBurnie, former Everton forward Sandro Ramirez and Wolves loanee Fabio Silva.
Bajcetic was also wanted by Real Betis, Celta Vigo, Getafe, Real Valladolid and Porto, according to reports, but the decision was made to send him to Gran Canaria instead.
His return to Spain should provide him the ideal background to recapture his form after a miserable run of fitness issues, as well as his lack of opportunities at Salzburg.
“Next season, we’ll have a player”
It is maintained that Liverpool see him playing a role in their long-term future, with Arne Slot having explained as much soon after his move to Austria.
“I hope it will be a big year for him because he’s a very talented player and I think he could become a very important player for us, but only if he gets playing time now,” the head coach said in August.
Slot added: “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, [he] could definitely, definitely play for us in the future.”
