Topic: Ben “Ben” Davies signs for Liverpool

[thaddeus]

We did play a teenager from non-league football though, so if Davies had been fit surely he would have played.

The teenager had been brought up to play the same way as our first team and had trained alongside his teammates.

As I understand it Preston play with a back three and probably a deeper defensive line than we do (disclaimer: I've never watched any on their games but Sepp van den Berg was playing as a wing-back for them).  I assume Klopp felt he needed more time to adjust but I guess we'll never know if he was ever close to making his debut as the injuries took any lingering chances away.

[royhendo]

All kinds of detective work going on in relation to Ben Davies then.

Not being funny but the fella got an injury and the manager didn't have the option of using him as the season unfolded. He's played a few pre-season minutes in a Liverpool shirt, and that's it - if the thread's not just fun, I don't see the point in it being open. If you feel like you need to be negative or critical in threads all over the forum, I dunno - any chance you could have a think of how you might bring some more joy into your lives?

[royhendo]

Funny to see things unfold on this. Looks like you lot might have been more right than me on it.

[killer-heels]

Funny to see things unfold on this. Looks like you lot might have been more right than me on it.

Do you remember Klopp’s comments when he signed? It was around not really ever targeting players like this. Surely that was a bit of a red flag?

He probably got given him as a desperate attempt to try to sign a centre back and he wasn’t good enough.

[tubby]

Really feel for him not even getting a chance in the first team.  Looked a very decent player in the Championship.

[AndyMuller]

Fucking weird signing to be honest.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Not good enough, don't think it's weird, we saw first hand that he was lacking quality once we signed him and he never got a sniff.

Not sure why that's weird.

Transfer didn't work out. We took a gamble given our circumstances.

[Dim Glas]

Do you remember Klopp’s comments when he signed? It was around not really ever targeting players like this. Surely that was a bit of a red flag?

He probably got given him as a desperate attempt to try to sign a centre back and he wasn’t good enough.

"I think 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 or something like that. It’s not really likely.”

He almost alluded at the fact him being  a local player played a part in it too!

"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.’ He’s a boy who played his whole life for Preston, is around the corner pretty much. We see the potential really."

But yes, all in all, a strange situation, to me it just reads as being a case of taking advantage of a situation where they could get a cheap ‘plan b’ option from close by.

Maybe with Covid there where issues with travel and concern with Kabak in that sense maybe, hence the ‘local’ aspect of the signing?

 

[killer-heels]

Not good enough, don't think it's weird, we saw first hand that he was lacking quality once we signed him and he never got a sniff.

Not sure why that's weird.

Transfer didn't work out. We took a gamble given our circumstances.

Some signings get at least some time on the pitch and then are deemed not good enough. He doesn’t seem it based on training.

[AndyMuller]

Not good enough, don't think it's weird, we saw first hand that he was lacking quality once we signed him and he never got a sniff.

Not sure why that's weird.

Transfer didn't work out. We took a gamble given our circumstances.

Aren’t the scouts paid to see if someone is good enough before signing them? It was a weird signing.

[b_joseph]

Aren’t the scouts paid to see if someone is good enough before signing them? It was a weird signing.

If it were that easy, nobody would ever make a bad transfer. But when the fee is low, the risk is non existent and the potential to make more in selling them, than you spent in buying them. Thats likely.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Aren’t the scouts paid to see if someone is good enough before signing them? It was a weird signing.

Mate, based on that logic, every transfer would be a success. Of course they're paid, but there are also lots of risks involved. Sometimes those risks are worth taking in certain circumstances. This is one of them, and not a risk we would usually take in normal situations. And not everybody translates whatever strengths they had from previous club to the current for various reasons.

[AndyMuller]

For a new signing to not even get a single minute on the pitch is bizarre though. We might not even make the money back we paid for him either.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

For a new signing to not even get a single minute on the pitch is bizarre though. We might not even make the money back we paid for him either.

You order a pair of shoes online, you think they're worth buying given the price. You get them in person, and it's crap, not what you expected.. You never put them on.

It's not bizarre, you took a risk, and it didn't work out.

You don't need to give him a minute on the pitch if he's getting rinsed in training and lacking quality in certain areas.

[Grobbelrevell]

For a new signing to not even get a single minute on the pitch is bizarre though. We might not even make the money back we paid for him either.

I'd be stunned if we don't make a profit on him.

The price he was available for will have played a role in the decision to sign him as well, because it mitigated the risk significantly. If he came in and showed the ability to raise his level to where we need, great. If he doesn't, well then you sell him on and at the very least you get your money back - but probably make a couple of million profit. Not a bad scenario in a business sense across a six month period.

Personally I would've liked to have seen him get a go, not least because he looked like he had some pace about him, and we badly lacked that last season.

Good luck to him whatever happens anyway.

[5-times-Phill]

At the time we were playing centre mids at centre half and I think one of them had just been injured (fab). We didn’t even trust Philips at the time.
We absolutely had to bring another centre half but obviously didn’t want to spend any money.

In the end between injuries and whatever else Klopp put his faith in the inexperienced lads he’d had all year and not the inexperienced lad he’d had in bits and pieces since Jan.

Thought personally we’d sell Philips and keep Davies as cover but good luck to him whatever happens.

[AndyMuller]

You order a pair of shoes online, you think they're worth buying given the price. You get them in person, and it's crap, not what you expected.. You never put them on.

It's not bizarre, you took a risk, and it didn't work out.

You don't need to give him a minute on the pitch if he's getting rinsed in training and lacking quality in certain areas.

Don’t know why your fuming mate, it’s bizarre 

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Don’t know why your fuming mate, it’s bizarre 

I'm not fuming, I'm bored at work 

[Kopenhagen]

He's just getting used to Klopp's expectations and our training methods. Be patient.

[Elzar]

£2.1 million for a centre back, when we needed one (okay circumstances meant he never played). It didn't work out, but it was risk free as it's almost certain we'll make a profit on him.

Exactly as said when he was signed, why not?

[rafathegaffa83]

Maybe with Covid there where issues with travel and concern with Kabak in that sense maybe, hence the ‘local’ aspect of the signing?

I honestly think he was the fallback in case Kabak fell through.

[Crosby Nick]

I honestly think he was the fallback in case Kabak fell through.

I think so too. It was the easiest deal to do of all the irons we had in the fire, got him in and then tried to get Kabak (and/or Caleta-Car or was that bollocks?).

Wonder if we’d have seen anything of him had we not signed Kabak?

Anyway, if he moves on this window, good luck to him. He’ll have learnt a lot training with our squad, hopefully he’ll do well wherever he ends up.

[royhendo]

EEEEEEEEEYYYYYY.

Like Adam Lallana in a hall of mirrors.

[Gaz123456]

Nice to see him get a few minutes. At least he can say he's played for Liverpool at Anfield now!

[OOS]

Going to Sheffield United on loan.

[terry_macss_perm]

Going to Sheffield United on loan.

Close to £1m loan fee, apparently.

A bonus if they get promoted was also mentioned but that might be in the c.£1m.

[royhendo]

All the best to him.

[TepidT2O]

Yep. Sell him next year when the market is better.

Win win

[bird_lfc]

Has actually worked out alright for him to be fair. I know he’s a Preston boy but he’s got time at liverpool training with top players and has now moved to a better championship club because of it

Good luck to the lad

[Kasper]

It's quite simple, really; he was brought in as emergency cover for Nat and Rhys. A £500k buy in for a potential £50M+ prize (for getting to the group stages of the Champions Leauge the following season). And it paid off, even thought we didn't need him.

 

[Kopenhagen]

Let's hope he wins them promotion and we get a decent fee when the market recovers.

[Philby]

Julian Ward is being talked up as the whizz-kid who made the hugely lucrative and successful Ben Davies deal happen.

Tipped as a possibile successor to Laptop Warrior Michael Edwards.

Top tip: If Edwards does move on just steam off the E, D and S from the back of your jersey. Simple.

[Philby]

ACTIVATE!

[killer-heels]

Highly lucrative?

Yeah, ok.

[Peabee]

Highly lucrative?

Yeah, ok.

It will probably be quite profitable, to be fair, from the loan fees and when he’s sold.

[Crosby Nick]

Has he played for them yet? How’s he doing?

[Dudek savessssss.........!]

Has he played for them yet? How’s he doing?

Now appears to have started Sheffield United's last 2 league games;

Luton Town 0-0 Sheffield United

Sheffield United 1-2 Huddersfield Town

Played the full 90-mins in both games

Sheffield United are currently in 23rd place (2nd from bottom) in the Championship.

[Dudek savessssss.........!]

Ben does not appear to have been included in the previous 2 Sheff. Utd league squads. Interestingly Jack Robinson appears to have played Centre Back for their last 2 games (according to BBC/transfermarkt)

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

Ben does not appear to have been included in the previous 2 Sheff. Wed. league squads. Interestingly Jack Robinson appears to have played Centre Back for their last 2 games (according to BBC/transfermarkt)

Sheffield United.

Jokanovic said: “Ben Davies, soon, he has only made two sessions after the international break and after two sessions he can be soon ready to return. He has a calf problem, we need to have him recover. When he came to us, he hasn't played a lot. He's a work in progress, he will be in the right conditions soon, maybe the next game."

[dosx]

Apparently he’s going to Rangers soon.