| Philipp Degen | |
|---|---|
| |
| Personal information | |
| Date of Birth |
15 February 1983 |
| Place of Birth |
Hölstein, Switzerland |
| Height |
1.86 m (6'1") |
| Position |
Defender |
| Liverpool statistics | |
| Years |
2008-2011 |
| Appearances |
13 |
| Goals |
0 |
Philipp Degen (born 15 February 1983) is a Swiss international footballer who played as a defender for Liverpool from 2008 until 2011.
Liverpool career[]
Degen signed for Liverpool on 3 July 2008 from Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer. Both Rafael Benitez and Degen himself were optimistic about the deal, Benitez said "He is an offensive player with great energy and a winning mentality. His strength is going forward and I am confident he will be prove to be a quality addition to our squad. He is a good signing, a player of potential, who can help us improve in the wide areas." Degen also showed great enthusiasm saying "The move is a challenge for me because Liverpool are not just any club." though he also recognised the great competition for places stating "They play every year for the title and the Champions League so it is clear to me that it's not easy to get through to the team."
He made his debut against Crewe in the League Cup third round on 23 September 2008. In this match Degen broke two ribs and received a punctured lung after colliding with team mate Sami Hyypia, which put him out of action for two months. Degen made his comeback against Tottenham in the League Cup fourth round on 12 November 2008 only to suffer another injury. He sustained a broken metatarsal after a challenge from Gareth Bale. Following the injury, Degen said "But the bone in my foot is torn apart, and I will be out another four to six weeks. It is the saddest event of my life - I keep asking myself if I did something wrong in a past life." Due to these injuries, Degen managed to make just two appearances for Liverpool in the 2008-09 season.
The following season brought better fortune for Degen, when he was finally able to make his league debut on 12 September 2009 against Burnley - 14 months after he signed. Degen spent much of the season on the bench however, and was limited to 11 appearances in all competitions. By the beginning of the 2010-11 season it appeared that Degen's Liverpool career was never going to play out as intended, and he was dealt a further blow when manager Roy Hodgson told him to look for a new club. Hodgson said "We have had an amicable conversation with Philipp and he wants to play football, we won't stand in his way and he is free to look for another club." Degen joined German side Stuttgart on 8 August 2010 on loan until the end of the season.
On 31 August 2011, Degen had his contract terminated by mutual consent and eventually signed a contract with FC Basel.
Stats[]
| Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2008-09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009-10 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Totals | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
External links[]
Philipp Degen career stats at Soccerbase