Reds bolster their defence

London – Liverpool finally bolstered their defensive options by signing Schalke’s Ozan Kabak (above) and Preston’s Ben Davies before the Premier League transfer window slammed shut on Monday.

Meanwhile, the 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 injury 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.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp had been suggesting for several weeks that a replacement centre-back would be a major lift for his team.

Kabak joined on loan until the end of the season, subject to international clearance.

The Premier League champions have paid an initial £1 million loan fee for the 20-year-old with the option to buy for £18 million at the end of the season.

Davies, 25, signed for an initial fee believed to be £500 000, plus future add-ons.

He made 145 appearances for Preston, scoring two goals, since his debut in 2013.

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.

Major moves involving “Big Six” Premier League clubs were few and far between in this January transfer window.

Top-flight clubs 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 much tougher to recruit young players from Europe.

The last time less than £100 million was spent in the January transfer window was 2012. –