Transfer deadline day recap: Liverpool sign Davies and Kabak

Liverpool finally beefed up their defensive options by signing Ozan Kabak from Schalke and Ben Davies from Preston as the clock ticked to the end of the Premier League transfer window on Monday.

The January window is generally seen as a seller’s market and often a time for interim action, but Liverpool have been forced to act.

The champions are missing all of their senior central defenders, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip out of action.

Fabinho, who had impressed at center-back after moving from his usual midfield position, was recently added to the disabled list, while captain Jordan Henderson, who often plays in midfield, has been forced to replace behind.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had been suggesting for several weeks that a replacement center-back would be a huge boost for his team.

Klopp finally got his wish when the Reds added two defenders in the closing hours of the transfer window.

Kabak joined on loan until the end of the season, subject to international authorization. The 20-year-old comes after two years in the Bundesliga, where he played for Stuttgart before joining Schalke in July 2019. He previously gained experience in the Champions League at Galatasaray and has won seven games for Turkey.

Klopp admitted that signing a relatively unknown player from the second division was a forced move by the financial constraints of the pandemic and Liverpool’s injury problems.

“It’s probably clear that in a normal transfer window, without a hitch, we wouldn’t look at Preston if there’s a player for us,” he said. “But since we saw it and our situation became clearer and clearer – the problems we had – when we saw it we got really excited and thought, ‘Wow.’ We see the quality and we see the potential.”

Davies made 145 appearances for Preston, scoring two goals, following his debut in 2013.

“Obviously it was a surprise when it first came out, but once you start to understand it, the opportunity that I have in front of me is incredible,” Davies said. “It would be foolish not to make the most of it and learn from the players. I’ve never actually been to Anfield and haven’t had a look yet.”

On the other hand, Gedson Fernandes ended his disappointing spell at Tottenham, with the cancellation of the loan of the Benfica midfielder so that he could join Galatasaray.

Major moves involving Premier League “Big Six” clubs looked unlikely on Monday.

Top-tier clubs, who spent money in the summer transfer window, are recovering from the financial fallout as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and are accepting the new Brexit rules that make it more difficult to recruit young players. of Europe.

Among the few flashy deals that have been made over the past month, Manchester United completed the transfer of Côte d’Ivoire teenage winger Amad Diallo from Serie A Atalanta.

On Monday, Arsenal released Shkodran Mustafi and the German defender signed a short-term contract at Schalke.

West Bromwich Albion, threatened by relegation, signed Turkish midfielder Okay Yokuslu on loan from Celta de Vigo until the end of the season.

West Brom also reached an agreement with Arsenal to carry the versatile Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan until the end of this period.

Ecuadorian international Moisés Caicedo has joined Brighton from Independiente del Valle for a fee of around 4 million pounds.

Newcastle signed Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock on loan for the remainder of the season, while Magpies right-back DeAndre Yedlin joined Galatasaray on a permanent deal.

Everton defender Jonjoe Kenny joined troubled Scottish champions Celtic on loan.