Kilmarnock have announced the signing of Liverpool midfielder James Balagizi on loan until the end of the season.
The 20-year-old makes the move to the Scottish Premiership after an unsuccessful spell with Wigan Athletic, where he played just seven matches in all competitions during the first half of the campaign.
Balagizi made the first XI in three EFL Trophy games and one EFL Cup match for the Latics, but he earned just 86 minutes of League One football across three substitute appearances.
After failing to make a League One matchday squad since the start of October, Balagizi was recalled to Liverpool, who immediately commenced their search for another loan destination for the Englishman.
Pending international clearance, Balagizi will now spend the next six months of his career with Kilmarnock, who have signed the playmaker on a straight loan with no option or obligation to buy.
"I'm really excited to get the deal done, I am happy with the project at the club and excited to get things going," Balagizi told the official Kilmarnock website.
"The manager did well at convincing me to come, hearing the plan that he's got. The team is building something really exciting for the fans and for the club itself, so to come here and hopefully add to that is part of my plan."
He's in the game... and he's at Kilmarnock 🤝 pic.twitter.com/aTCrdp2a0R
— Kilmarnock FC (@KilmarnockFC) January 24, 2024
"Fans can expect an exciting player, I work hard on and off the ball and always look to make things happen. Creativity is my main thing, I play box-to-box and aim to get fans off their seats."
Balagizi began his footballing journey with Liverpool but briefly left for a stint in the Manchester City academy, after which he rejoined the Merseyside giants as an Under-11s player.
The 20-year-old signed his first professional deal with Liverpool in September 2020 after starring for the club's Under-18s, scoring eight goals and providing 14 assists in 40 games at youth level.
However, Balagizi is yet to make his first-team debut under Jurgen Klopp, although he was an unused substitute in the third round of Liverpool's 2021-22 FA Cup and EFL Cup matches against Shrewsbury Town and Norwich City respectively.
The England Under-20 international was previously loaned out to Crawley Town for the first half of the 2022-23 season, where he struck three goals and set up one more in 16 games but missed a good chunk of the season with a groin injury.
Prior to joining Wigan on loan last summer, Balagizi extended his contract with Liverpool, and the 20-year-old could make his debut for the Scottish Premiership fourth-placed side at home to Hibernian on Saturday.
Balagizi has become the fourth Liverpool player to leave the club on loan this month, following Fabio Carvalho (Hull City), Luke Chambers (Wigan) and Rhys Williams (Port Vale) out of the exit door.
Ben Knapton
