LONDON, Feb 2, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Liverpool finally bolstered their defensive
options by signing Schalke’s Ozan Kabak and Preston’s Ben Davies before the
Premier League transfer window slammed shut on Monday.
Meanwhile Premier League champions’ Japanese attacking midfielder Takumi
Minamino left for Southampton on loan until the end of the season in one of
the few moves between Premier League clubs on a quiet deadline day.
The January window is regarded as a sellers’ market and often a time for
stop-gap measures but Liverpool were 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 centre-back after moving from his usual
midfield position, recently joined the injured list while captain Jordan
Henderson, who usually plays in midfield, has been forced to deputise at the
back.
Japanese international Minamino departed Anfield for Southampton in a
surprise move allowed to be completed after the window shut because the
Saints had submitted the necessary paperwork in time.
“I am very pleased to welcome Takumi to our squad for the rest of this
season,” Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said in club statement issued
two hours after the 2300 GMT deadline.
“He will help provide another good attacking option, and is importantly the
right profile of player for us.
“This will give us some additional depth in our squad at an important
time.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had been suggesting for several weeks that a
replacement centre-back would be a major lift for his team.
Klopp got his wish at last as the Reds brought in two defenders in the
final hours of the transfer window.
Kabak joined on loan until the end of the season, subject to international
clearance.
The Premier League champions have paid an initial œ1 million ($1.37
million) loan fee with the option to buy for œ18 million at the end of the
season.
The 20-year-old arrives after two years in the Bundesliga, where he played
for Stuttgart before joining Schalke in July 2019.
He previously gained Champions League experience at Galatasaray and has won
seven caps for Turkey.
Davies, 25, signed for an initial fee believed to be œ500,000, plus future
add-ons.
Klopp conceded signing a relatively unknown player from the second tier was
a move forced by financial restraints of the pandemic and Liverpool’s injury
woes.
“It’s probably clear that in a normal transfer window, without any issues,
we would not look at Preston if there’s a player for us,” he said.
“But since we saw him and since our situation got clearer and clearer —
the problems we had — when we saw him we got really excited about it and
thought, ‘Wow.’ We see the quality and we see the potential.”
Davies made 145 appearances for Preston, scoring two goals, since his debut
in 2013.
– Low-spending window –
“Obviously it came as a bit of a surprise when it first came out but once
you start to get your head around it, the opportunity that is in front of me
is incredible,” Davies said.
“I’ve never actually been to Anfield and I haven’t had a look around yet.”
Major moves involving “Big Six” Premier League clubs were few and far
between in the January window.
Top-flight clubs, who splashed the cash in the summer transfer window, are
reeling from the financial fallout as a result of the Covid-19 crisis and are
coming to terms with new Brexit rules that make it tougher to recruit young
players from Europe.
The last time less than œ100 million was spent in the January transfer
window was 2012.
Arsenal allowed Shkodran Mustafi to leave, with the German defender signing
a short-term contract at Schalke.
Gedson Fernandes ended his disappointing spell at Tottenham, with the
midfielder’s loan from Benfica cancelled so he could join Galatasaray.
Relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion signed Turkey midfielder Okay
Yokuslu on loan from Celta Vigo until the end of the season.
West Brom also agreed a deal with Arsenal to take the versatile Ainsley
Maitland-Niles on loan until the end of this term.
Ecuador international Moises Caicedo joined Brighton from Independiente del
Valle for a fee of around œ4 million.
Newcastle signed Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock on loan for the rest of the
season, while Magpies’ right-back DeAndre Yedlin joined Galatasaray in a
permanent deal.
Fulham landed former Sunderland forward Josh Maja on loan from French side
Bordeaux.
Everton were hoping to sign Bournemouth striker Josh King in a late deal.