ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC boss Stephen Kenny confirmed last night that Marcelo Pitaluga has left the club after his loan spell from Liverpool was cut short.
The 21-year-old signed a new contract with the Premier League club in January before linking up with the Saints.
Expectations were high, particularly after another Liverpool goalkeeper, Vítězslav Jaroš, had a terrific loan spell with the Irish side in 2021.
Pitaluga was due to spend the season at Pat’s but ultimately played just four Premier Division matches.
An unconvincing start to the campaign that included some high-profile errors led to the Brazil underage international getting dropped for the match against Dundalk in March by then-manager Jon Daly.
Former Ireland U21 international Danny Rogers has held the number one jersey since. And the signing earlier in the week of another goalkeeper, Joseph Anang from West Ham, who previously impressed on loan at Pat’s during the 2022 season, paved the way for Pitaluga’s exit.
It has been a busy few days for the Richmond Park outfit. It was announced earlier in the week that Pat’s had terminated the contract of Raith Rovers-bound Kieran Freeman by mutual consent after the former Southampton and Dundee United full-back joined the club in February and made eight league appearances.
It was also confirmed on Wednesday that centre-back Alfie Taylor had returned to parent club Hull City after making three appearances.
Pitaluga, whose only previous senior experience came when he lined out 19 times for Macclesfield in the NPL Division One West in the 2022-23 campaign, was on the bench for last night’s 0-0 draw with Bohemians.
However, Kenny revealed the young goalkeeper would be one of the departures in this window and suggested another new signing was likely to be announced soon.
“There has been transformational change anyway here in the off-season,” the ex-Ireland boss said. “There was a high number of signings and three have gone back this week – Kieran to Scotland, we said goodbye too to Marcelo, a great guy and a good career ahead of him I think, and Alfie is gone back to Hull. Joe Anang trains from Monday and I’m hopeful of having one in next week, but we’ll have to see.”
On the game itself, Kenny lamented his side’s inability to find the net.
A combination of sub-par finishing and an inspired display from Bohemians goalkeeper Kacper Chorążka meant Pat’s had to settle for a point despite dominating large portions of the match.
Kenny also praised the contribution of Tom Grivosti, describing him as “a good defender and a good character”.
The 25-year-old Liverpool-born centre-back completed 90 minutes for just the second time this season, after nearly a year out of action with a cruciate ligament injury.
Similarly, Anto Breslin made a welcome return to the starting XI following a hamstring injury, making a crucial goal-line clearance to deny the visitors a goal shortly before half-time. He came through 75 minutes unscathed before being replaced by Jason McClelland.
“[Breslin] got injured in [my] first few days really, in the game against Shelbourne and hadn’t featured since,” Kenny added. “It was an issue because he’s the only natural left-back at the club. Getting the full-backs, Axel [Sjoberg] and Anto, was helpful because it gave us energy and the ability to overlap and join in. Those are important characteristics in the team. So it’s good to see him back.”
