[ad_1]
Ozan Kabak moved to Schalke from Stuttgart in 2019
Liverpool have completed a loan for Schalke’s Turkish central defender Ozan Kabak.
The 20-year-old joins the Reds until the end of the season, and the club also signed Ben Davies from Preston North End for £ 2 million.
Defender Davies, 25, has signed a “long-term” outside liaison at Anfield.
Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car was also a potential target, with the Reds exploring a number of defensive options due to injuries.
Liverpool has the option to buy Kabak for £ 18 million, with riders, at the end of the season, but does not need to activate it until June.
For now, they will pay a £ 1 million loan fee now with the potential of an additional £ 500,000 depending on the games played and how they fare in the Champions League.
The Reds are missing experienced center-backs Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez due to injury, while midfielder Fabinho, who has been in the back, is also out.
Coach Jurgen Klopp named his twelfth different center midfielder pair in 21 Premier League games for Sunday’s 3-1 win at West Ham, with midfielder Jordan Henderson alongside Nathaniel Phillips.
On Davies’ arrival from the Preston championship team, Klopp said: “It’s probably clear that in a normal transfer window, without any problems, we would not look at Preston.” [to see] if there is a player for us or something.
“As our situation became more and more clear, the problems that we had, when we saw it we were very excited and we thought: ‘Wow’.
“We see the quality and we also see the potential because he is 25 years old and there is a lot to come.”
- Live – Deadline Deals As They Happen All Deadline Deals in One Place
Liverpool sign Kabak seven times with Turkey
Kabak was recommended by former Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner, who coached him at Schalke and worked with Liverpool manager Klopp at Bundesliga’s Borussia Dortmund.
Before joining Schalke, Kabak played for Stuttgart and won the German top flight Rookie of the Year award for the 2018-19 season despite the club relegation.
Stuttgart sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger, a former Aston Villa midfielder, said it was “unbelievable how wise he is for his age.”
“It’s amazing,” Hitzlsperger added. “I see him every day and it amazes me how mature he is.”
Kabak, whose idol is Van Dijk, has played 14 times for Schalke this season, although the club is last in the table with the worst defensive record in the league.
Liverpool maintained an external link with the Turk last summer after the departure of Dejan Lovren.
Analysis
German soccer expert Constantin Eckner
After Kabak came to the Bundesliga in 2019, he quickly became one of the most promising central talents in the league.
Sadly for him, he was not always able to show his full potential as he was relegated with Stuttgart before joining a dysfunctional Schalke team.
Still, Kabak impressed many with his defensive skill set. It has been called the “Turkish Wall” for its skills in dueling both on the ground and in the air.
His talent as a ballplayer has not been tested much as Schalke often avoided any kind of constructive accumulation. Kabak seems like a competent passer, but could need some time to adjust to Liverpool’s system of possession.
While he is a tremendous talent, Kabak earned a reputation in Germany for having a hot temper.
He was suspended for four games earlier this season for spitting in the direction of Werder Bremen left-back Ludwig Augustinsson.
Since he is only 20 years old, he will continue to grow a lot as a player and as a personality. And so despite the hype, coaches, teammates and fans will have to show patience with him.
Davies joins Preston Reds Ben Davies was Preston’s player of the year for the 2018-19 season
Davies’ signing was completed after a doctor on Monday.
The left-side defender, whom Celtic was convinced they had obtained in a pre-contract deal, went through Preston’s youth system and has been on loan from York, Southport and Newport.
Burnley was also interested, but it is understood that Preston was unwilling to sell to a local rival.
Bournemouth was considering an offer as part of a double deal that also included Ben Pearson, while Sheffield United was also in the mix, but Davies seized the opportunity to pass on to the Premier League champions.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Davies said. “Obviously it was a surprise at first, but once you start to understand it, the opportunity that I have in front of me is incredible.
“It would be silly not to make the most of it and learn from the club’s players.”
The Reds have paid £ 500,000 upfront with add-ons worth up to £ 1.1 million related to first-team appearances and any other accomplishments he contributes to, as well as any England honors he may earn.
There is a 20% sell clause for Preston if Liverpool make any profit on a future deal for Davies.
Liverpool’s 19-year-old Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg joined Preston on loan as part of the deal.
Who is Davies? ‘A really stable Eddie’
Mark Lawrenson, former Preston and Liverpool defender
Ben Davies has done well at Preston and let his contract run out so he was going to move on in the summer. I really didn’t see him as good enough to be on Liverpool’s radar.
He’s a very firm Eddie. He’s left-handed and fast enough, but he doesn’t have a phenomenal pace or anything like that.
He has been good in the Championship, very good.
But I watched him and I thought, in front of the extra nous and the quality that you get in the Premier League, in addition to the extra pace, it will be a test for him. You don’t want to pitch it to face Manchester City next Sunday, put it that way.
Obviously this is a great move for him, I just can’t see him approach the first team. Phillips has done well when he came in and is probably a better player.
So Davies would be behind him and so would Rhys Williams, so even before Joel Matip returns and the other two long-term injured players Van Dijk and Gomez will be below them on the list. And also Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.
I’m not sure I play a lot, but the experience alone should be fabulous. I hope he experiences playing in the first team, but even if he’s just sitting on the bench, it’s still great for him.
- You can stream all the goals and highlights from Sunday’s Premier League matches with Match Day 2 on BBC iPlayer
Source: bbc.com
[ad_2]
