A fan recently was taking pictures with players arriving at the Liverpool training ground. One picture caught the eye of the Liverpool fanbase. The picture was of Calvin Ramsay. The young Scot who joined from Aberdeen was meant to be a star but rather many fans were surprised he was even at the club!
In the 2021-22 season, Liverpool were close to a historic quadruple. They won the EFL Cup and the FA Cup, both times defeating Chelsea in a penalty shootout. However, they finished second in the Premier League, losing the title to Manchester City by a meagre point, and were defeated by Real Madrid in the Champions League final, a repeat of the 2018 final.
Liverpool needed a massive summer transfer window and signed the likes of Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay. In particular the signing of Calvin Ramsay for £6.5m from Aberdeen seemed like a bargain.
Ramsay at Aberdeen
Ramsay made a total of 33 appearances in the 21/22 season, scoring one goal and providing nine assists for the Dandies. These performance earned him the Scottish Football Writers’ Association (SFWA) Young Player of the Year award. His attacking output combined with his bombing runs down the flank, left Liverpool fans watching his compilations on Youtube.
Ramsay’s time at Aberdeen was marked by his attacking prowess and ability to get forward from the right-back position. He also made his European debut for the club during a UEFA Conference League qualifier against Swedish side BK Häcken in July 2021.
Ramsay joins Liverpool
When Ramsay joined Liverpool, manager Jurgen Klopp would go on to say that “He had a brilliant profile” and there was “Lots to Like” about him. Reds fans were delighted as they would have now two brilliant RBs–one being Trent Alexander-Arnold–who could challenge each other.
But Ramsay’s time at Liverpool was plagued by injuries, starting with a problem found during his medical exam that prevented him from ever truly getting his career at the club started.
A few games with the under-21s proved valuable and on November 2022, against Napoli, his number was finally called by Jurgen Klopp to make his senior debut, coming on for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 87th minute.
“Delighted to get three points and to come on and make my debut in the Champions League is a special moment,” the Scot told LFCTV. “To have my family here, as well, makes it even more special so I’m delighted. “I was a bit nervous, to be honest,” the 19-year-old admitted. “Since I came to the club I’ve been injured, but I’m just delighted to be back now.”
With Real Madrid signing Trent Alexander-Arnold this was meant to be Calvin Ramsay’s time, so what happened to the young Scot?
Loans and injuries stagnate his development
Various loan spells have offered little reprieve. The most damaging aspect has been the persistent injury issues that have followed him across multiple clubs.
Preston Loan (2023-24): After another injury setback, 20-year-old defender Calvin Ramsay had returned to Liverpool from his loan at Preston North End. Ramsay was initially expected to be out for six to eight weeks after getting injured during the preseason, and the original plan was for him to stay at Preston for his recovery. However, Preston’s manager, Ryan Lowe, confirmed that the severity of the injury has forced Ramsay to return to Liverpool for rehabilitation. Unfortunately, Liverpool would recall him from his loan in January, making only two appearances for the club.
Bolton Spell: Hope would arise as Bolton would then sign him on loan for the second half of the season. The Scot even claiming “The manager here has a lot of belief in me, “It’s been different here to the last two clubs.” However, his time at Bolton was also hampered by a lack of playing time. While he made four appearances in his first six games, he did not complete a full 90 minutes in any of them and was subsequently left out of the squad for several matches without any official reason given by the club.
Wigan Spell: He would then go on loan to Wigan in the summer of 2024, hoping it would be third time lucky. He made only twelve appearances in all competitions across the first half of the 2024-25 season. Then then inevitable happened, his loan would last only 6 months and he would yet again return to Liverpool in January.
Kilmarnock Spell: It would be a homecoming as Calvin would join Scottish side Kilmarnock in January 2025. To make it even better Ramsay would reunite with manager Derek McInnes, who he previously worked under at Aberdeen. “When the opportunity came up to sign Calvin we jumped at it,” said Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes. Ramsay shared that being reunited with several familiar faces from his Aberdeen days helped make his mind up. Speaking to Killie TV, he said: “It’s good. I drove up this morning so delighted to be here. Met all the lads and had a training session. I know almost half of the dressing room. Matty [Kennedy], Marley [Watkins], I could go through everyone. A few boys I have played 21s with. With even the manager pumped to sign him and him playing in familiar surroundings. This was his chance to make it, every variable was in place for him. Alas, he would only get 8 appearances for the club, his total minutes for the club only amounting to 84 minutes, not even a full match.
The pattern has become self-defeating: injuries limit his playing time, lack of match fitness makes him more injury-prone, and reduced playing time means he cannot build the consistency needed to establish himself at any club.
Bradley’s emergence and Frimpong’s arrival
Conor Bradley would emerge as an option for the Merseyside team. The young lad from Northern Ireland would sign from Dungannon U18 to Liverpool U18. After 1 year out on loan to Bolton, he would train with the Liverpool U23 squad. Then in 23/24 have his breakout season for the Reds. Conor was a more traditional RB compared to Trent. Rumours began circulating in the start of last season that Trent would not sign a new contract and would run out the length of his contract to join the Los Blancos for the 2025/26 season.
Various Hamstring Injuries saw Trent miss out last season with Conor Bradley stepping up in his place. One of his best performances ironically came against Trent’s future team Real Madrid. A brilliant one-two between Alexis Mac Allister and Conor would lead to the opener. He would also put on a brilliant defensive performance with his tackle against Mbappe being lauded by the Liverpool fans. He would also sign a new contract keeping him at the Merseyside team till 2029.
The final reckoning for the Scot came when Liverpool would sign Jeremie Frimpong, who has been lauded for his attacking prowess. With Liverpool having a great attacking RB and a great defensive RB, the question arises -What happens to Calvin Ramsay?
What next for Ramsay?
Arne Slot would most likely not include the young Scot in his squad. One of the biggest indications came when new signing Hugo Ekitike took the number 22 shirt. Which has belonged to Ramsay ever since his moved from Aberdeen. He has 2 years left on his contract; a sale could be on the cards.
In an interview with Record Sport back in October, Ramsay revealed that he always felt he had the backing of Klopp during his injury-ravaged spell working under the German. With the arrival of Arne Slot and him choosing to purchase the Dutchman Jeremie Frimpong, his safety net has gone.
Calvin is still only 22, a move away could do him good, there is no doubt the talent is there and in a new environment it could be the very reset that he needs. Many before him have been able to turn it around. The Pertinent question is- Will we see the Ramsay that we saw in 2021 return?
