Luca Stephenson steps out for Wanderers in pre-season (Image: Christopher Meers)
Luca Stephenson steps out for Wanderers in pre-season (Image: Christopher Meers)
Luca Stephenson admits he had to be ‘honest’ with himself in choosing to leave Liverpool for Wanderers this summer.
After spending eight years in the Anfield academy, the 22-year-old defender opted to join Bolton in a £750,000 deal, making him the joint most expensive player signed in Steven Schumacher’s time in charge.
Stephenson had been touted for senior football at various times over the past couple of seasons at Liverpool, and former boss Arne Slot drafted him into the first-team training squad 12 months ago after his first successful loan spell with Dundee United.
An opportunity never arrived, however, and the youngster is now looking forward to establishing a career at Bolton – with a full debut set to be made in this weekend’s Carabao Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday.
He said: "I have racked up more than 100 games now but they have all been on loan – this is a permanent club, so it’s a little bit different.
"Making my first permanent move and getting a lengthy contract somewhere other than Liverpool and going into a men's dressing room rather than being in a 21's dressing room.
"It was a straightforward decision, but it's something I still had to think about.
"It's always difficult coming into a new club and meeting hundreds of new people, but obviously knowing a couple of the boys that were already here has helped since that came in, so it's been good.
"I just like playing games.
"I love playing games, I love playing men's footy.
"Was I going to get that at Liverpool? The answer is probably no.
"That's just the honest reality of it.
"Would I have got as many games as I would have wanted playing for Liverpool? Probably not.
"I just want to play games, I want to play week in, week out.
"I want to go and express myself in front of big crowds and big games, which we're going to get this year in the Championship.
"So, I jumped at the opportunity."
Stephenson will be one of a handful of players making their first official appearance for Bolton this weekend at Hillsborough.
The Owls will themselves be much changed from the administration-haunted squad that managed just two wins en route to Championship relegation last season, and the prospect of a fresh start under new ambitious ownership is likely to mean a buoyant home crowd for the opening competitive game.
Stephenson said: "It will obviously be a good crowd.
"I believe they've been taken over towards the end of last year, so no doubt the atmosphere will be really good.
"We'll take really good travelling support. It's a real competitive game now.
"We've got to start brightly and set the tone for the season.
"As of Saturday, we're not using this as another pre-season game.
"We're using this as a real competitive game and we're going there to win."
Wanderers could include skipper Eoin Toal in the squad after he made a successful return from a hamstring injury in the final pre-season friendly against NAC Breda.
Midfielder Ethan Erhahon is not expected to feature, although he is making progress after a calf issue which has limited his involvement over the summer.