Wow. Wow, what a day. Two days ago, most people felt it would be a quiet day for the deadline once again for Liverpool, as they would choose to hobble along with their injured walking until the end of the season. Instead, what we got was a flurry of movement, both inbound and outbound.
It all started on Sunday, when Liverpool were ending their victory against West Ham. News began to circulate that the Reds were close to reaching a deal for Ben Davies of Preston North End. It was a surprise for everyone, since the young man from 25 years old was never mentioned as a scout and never played above the Championship level. As the rumors quickly settled, and the scouting reports of Preston North End fans rolled around, it seemed to be a solid deal, especially after hearing that the Reds had sought out Celtic for Davies’ signing.
LINE: Ben Davies signs for Liverpool
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As the final deal was confirmed, Liverpool looked for someone who had more speed than Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips, as well as more experience in the main team for a minimal expense (£ 500k upfront, total deal of £ 1.6 million). Liverpool also sent U-23 defender Sepp Van den Berg on loan. The Dutch defender now has the opportunity to push into the first minutes of an intermediate championship team.
While it was nice to have a warm body to provide support during Liverpool’s defensive injury crisis, the news that Liverpool were a much more established second defender was also good. The initial whispers were that Liverpool were asking about the Duje Caleta-Car de Marseille, but it quickly changed to a more familiar name, Ozan Kabak from Schalke 04. These whispers became a roar as the Reds were finalizing a loan contract for 6 months for the player they’ve been exploring for over a year. The critical point seemed to be whether there would be a purchase requirement at the end of the loan or whether Liverpool would have only the option. Michael Edwards and co managed to close the final deal on the line with the total loan being £ 1 million (potentially increasing to £ 1.5 million), and the option to purchase £ 18 million plus add-ons in June. There is no requirement to buy, which apparently makes this a 6 month trial period for a player with a lot of potential.
Of course, not everything can be good news. Shortly after the Kabak deal was announced as final, Liverpool broke the devastating news that Joel Matip had been ruled out for the season due to an ankle injury. Matip became the third of three central defenders on the senior team who had their season hampered by injury, joining Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez behind the scenes.
A final surprise was in store for Liverpool fans when it was announced that Jurgen Klopp (and current Southampton manager) cosplayer Ralph Hasenhüttl was interested in Takumi Minamino on loan for the rest of the season. Minamino has found some difficult minutes for Liverpool and, with Diogo Jota coming back from injury soon, there would be even less opportunities. With the deal finalized on a 6-month loan with no purchase option, Taki has a chance to get a few minutes on his resume for a team playing attack and pressure football.
This is by far the busiest day I can remember for Liverpool. Apparently, it was a good day overall. With the two defenders coming in, Liverpool spent a total of around £ 3 million to keep them going until the end of this season.
At worst, they have a player in Davies who is likely to be happy to be a solid 4th choice for the club, as names like Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip come back from injuries. They can also kick the tires with no obligation to buy on a 20-year-old with first-rate initial experience to see if he is a champion they want to invest in the long term. And if Kabak isn’t the guy they want in the long run, Liverpool can continue their search for a player like Ibrahima Konaté in the summer.
At best, Liverpool may have found a rough diamond in Davies, which may be more than 4th choice, or a player who can at least pitch for a solid profit. As for Ozan Kabak, he can prove to be a first-rate defender that Liverpool can get for a reduced price at the end of the season, if he gets along with the team.
Still, despite all the positives of the negotiations for Davies and Kabak, losing Joel Matip this season looks like a net loss. This means that Fabinho must remain in defense for the rest of the season (once he is fit again). It also means that Liverpool fans miss out on the wonderfully healthy and memorable content that Matip offers and accompanies his stellar game when he is healthy.
What do you think of the offers on deadline days? Are you happy with the defensive coverage that was brought in, or emptied with the news of Matip and Minamino’s departure?