Why Liverpool were forced to settle for Preston’s Ben Davies as they prepare to seal the move

Liverpool made the decision to sign center-back Ben Davies from the championship Preston after they failed to advance with a series of alternate goals, sundayworld.com was reported.

Avies looks set to complete a surprise move to Liverpool ahead of the 11pm transfer deadline on Monday, with his arrival giving manager Jurgen Klopp a welcome boost amid his current defensive crisis.

Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are long-term absent, meaning Joel Matip was Liverpool’s only other senior center-back until he was injured against Tottenham on Thursday night.

Jordan Henderson retired from his midfield role to play alongside Nat Phillips on Liverpool’s defensive line in Sunday’s 3-1 win against West Ham at London Stadium, and during that match news emerged that he had reached to an agreement to sign Davies.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon believed his club was close to reaching a deal to sign Davies as he seeks to fix problems on his defense, with Republic of Ireland defender Shane Duffy suffering an alarming drop in his form after his move to Parkhead.

However, the appeal of playing for Klopp’s Premier League champions was impossible for Davies to ignore, with the 25-year-old expected to complete £ 2 million on Monday.

While Davies’s play appears to be a panic play, Liverpool faced a number of complications when they made the late decision to move in for a defender after Matip’s injury.

Moves for RB Leipzig’s defensive duo Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate were scrapped earlier this month, while financial restrictions meant a push to sign Sven Botman from Lille was out of reach for Liverpool despite the claims that this deal could be revived before Monday’s transfer deadline.

Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi was also under consideration, but is currently in talks with Arsenal about the termination of the last six months of his contract, meaning that Liverpool could not afford to wait to see if the World Cup winner from Germany it could be available before the Monday deadline.

Concerns about foreign targets entering the country amid Covid-19 restrictions were also a consideration when Liverpool made the decision to sign Davies.

Preston manager Alex Neil said he expected Davies to remain at his club until his contract expired next summer, but that plan changed when Liverpool’s interest was confirmed.

Davies’ signing is seen as a plaster cast for Liverpool’s hierarchy, who are expected to name Virgil van Dijk on their Premier League and Champions League teams for the second half of this season, as he quickly advances on his return. of a knee ligament. injury.

While Van Dijk is not expected to return to training until March at the earliest, the prospect of the Dutchman returning to action this season has fueled hope that Liverpool can navigate a path this season without a defensive signing of High profile.