During the 2022-23 season, Stefan Bajcetic forced his way into the Liverpool first team at 18 years of age, establishing himself as a viable option in midfield and making 19 senior appearances after making his debut in November against Derby in the League Cup.
Then, injuries set him back. The subsequent three seasons have been difficult for the son of midfielder Srdjan Bajcetic, who spent three seasons at Celta de Vigo and then returned there when he retired to raise his son, who eventually joined
Celta’s academy and played there until 2020 when he turned 16 and joined the Reds.
That move saw Liverpool pay the Spanish club £224k in training compensation. While there is no official confirmation, it’s believed Celta have agreed a fee of around £1.3M (€1.5M) to bring him home permanently.
A series of injury issues, most notably an adductor injury that kept him out for much of the 2023-24 season, and struggles to find form whenever he has briefly been able to stay fit have defined his three seasons since that so promising debut year, and have included loan spells at RB Leipzig and Las Palmas.
His talent when he played for Liverpool back in 2022-23 was clear. But it was also clear that getting back to the point where he could contribute as he did then, at least were he to stay with Liverpool, would be difficult.
While a return to home to Celta isn’t the ending of his time in Red anyone would have expected a few short years ago, hopefully it will provide the environment—and the chance at consistent football—Bajcetic needs to get his career back on track and perhaps become the player he once looked on his way to being.
