In a week which has seen Liverpool recall several players from abortive loan spells, the Reds have also been signing off on temporary moves away from Anfield.
It was confirmed on Friday that Marcelo Pitaluga has joined League of Ireland club St Patrick’s Athletic on loan, with the goalkeeper following in the footsteps of LFC teammate and positional colleague Vitezslav Jaros, who made the same move to Dublin in 2021.
The 21-year-old took to social media after the transaction was confirmed, tweeting: ‘Excited to get started!’ along with a muscle flex emoji and the club colours of St Pat’s.
Pitaluga will be hoping that his loan move to Richmond Park will be as productive as Jaros’ three years ago, with the Czech ‘keeper making 39 appearances for the Dublin club and keeping 13 clean sheets (Transfermarkt).
The timing of the Brazilian’s temporary exit from Liverpool is ideal – with the League of Ireland running on a calendar year basis, he joins the Saints in pre-season, and their top-flight campaign gets underway in mid-February.
He’ll also have European football to enjoy at St Pat’s if he remains there in the summer, with their FAI Cup triumph in November earning them a place in the UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds in 2024.
Pitaluga has yet to play a first-team match in his career (Transfermarkt), and having turned 21 just before Christmas, he’ll be eager to put that right by enjoying plenty of game-time with the Irish outfit. Hopefully his loan move will go better than those endured by the likes of Fabio Carvalho and Rhys Williams this season.
More must-reads: