Soccer-Liverpool defender Williams seals loan switch to Blackpool

(Reuters) - Liverpool defender Rhys Williams has joined Championship side Blackpool on a season-long loan deal, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old had signed a long-term contract last summer after impressive displays in the 2020-21 season where he started their last five league games of the season to help seal a third-placed finish and an automatic Champions League spot.

Williams, who also had a spell on loan with Swansea City last season, heads to Michael Appleton's Blackpool ahead of the start of their Championship (second-tier) campaign at home to Reading on July 30.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)