Liverpool have confirmed the signing of young centre-back Oludare Olufunwa after he was released by Southampton despite spending ten years in the club’s academy.

Oludare Olufunwa, who transferred from Southampton to Merseyside on a free transfer, will make his debut at his new club’s under-21 team.

The youngster spent 11 years in the Saints’ development centre and had two appearances for the first team last season, playing in the EFL Trophy.

Throughout the first half of the 2021–2022 season, Olufunwa also featured frequently for the team in Premier League 2.

Even though he was well-liked within the academy setup, his appearances subsided in the second half of the campaign, and before his 21st birthday in July, decision was taken not to offer him an extension.

• To strengthen their U21 team, Liverpool has added center-back Oludare Olufunwa.

• This summer, the 21-year-old signed contract with the Merseyside giants as a free-agent.

• Last year, he made two appearances for Southampton’s first team in the EFL Trophy.

• After being released by Southampton, Olufunwa was put on trial in Liverpool.

In light of his predicament at Southampton, Liverpool handed the Nigerian-born – Olufunwa a trial with the U-21s during their preseason tour this summer.

The 21-year-old reportedly had a strong performance, which convinced the Reds to sign him on a permanent deal.

Olufunwa is unlikely to play for the first team this season, but he is anticipated to play a significant role for the U-21 team.

Due to a lack of depth, the club recently fell 3-0 to Manchester City’s U-21 team, and the Reds were unable to name a central defender on the bench.

Jürgen Klopp is renowned for advancing young players to the first team starting lineup.

“Excited to be joining this great club, what a special place! Thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome, time to get to work.” – he wrote on his twitter page.

Excited to be joining this great club, what a special place! Thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome, time to get to work ! 🔴❤️ pic.twitter.com/gWwtUy8TvM

— Oludare Olufunwa (@oludareolufunwa) August 9, 2022

The center-back will be trying to emulate Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez, who both developed into significant players for the Reds after entering first-team play.

Liverpool has acquired some of its most important players from Southampton, and the Reds are confident they have uncovered another treasure in Olufunwa.

For the young Reds who are vying for a spot in Jurgen Klopp’s team, he will now add further competition.

𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕? 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒙!