Where Liverpool's two forgotten January 'panic buys' are now three years on
Three years ago, Liverpool decided to sign Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies in the January transfer window as they tried to solve their worrying centre-back injury crisis.
Jurgen Klopp lost Virgil van Dijk to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear in October 2020 following Jordan Pickford's reckless challenge in the Merseyside derby. That put Van Dijk out for 10 months, with the Dutchman returning to Premier League action on the opening day of the following season.
Meanwhile, Joel Matip then joined Van Dijk as one of Liverpool's long-term absentees after he suffered a season-ending ankle ligament issue in late January 2021. This left the Reds with Joe Gomez as the only established senior centre-back not ruled out for the rest of the campaign - and the club panicked.
Liverpool decided to sign two central defenders on deadline day in the January 2021 window, with Kabak and Davies both coming through the door. Kabak arrived on loan from Schalke after being recommended by ex-Huddersfield boss David Wagner, while Davies signed for £500,000 from Preston.
Having started his career at Galatasaray, Kabak had a spell at Stuttgart before moving to Schalke in 2019. He made 42 appearances for Gelsenkirchen side ahead of his switch to Liverpool for the remainder of the season. The loan deal was reportedly worth £1million plus add-ons.
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Less than two weeks after his move, Kabak made his Liverpool debut against Leicester. He went on to feature a further 13 times for the Reds, helping them finish inside the Champions League places. However, the Reds decided against activating a £18m - which could rise to £26.5m - buy option in his contract.
Ozan Kabak made 13 appearances for Liverpool (Getty Images)Kabak returned to Schalke but was sent back out on loan, this time to newly-promoted Premier League side Norwich. However, the Turkey international struggled at Carrow Road, making 14 appearances during an injury-hit campaign as the Canaries were relegated back to the Championship.
In July 2022, Kabak signed for Hoffenheim on a permanent deal and penned a four-year contract. The 23-year-old played 33 times last season and is still plying his trade at the Sinsheim-based club. Kabak didn't feature in last weekend's 1-1 draw against Heidenheim due to suspension.
Ben Davies (Getty Images)As for Davies, he did not make a single appearance for Liverpool during the remainder of the 2020/21 season. Davies joined Sheffield United for the following campaign as he looked to get more game time. He finished the season having made 23 appearances as the Blades reached the Championship play-offs.
After playing ZERO matches, Davies' torrid 18-month spell at Liverpool came to an end in July 2022 as he moved to Rangers on a permanent deal, reported to be for an initial £3m. Davies is still currently at The Gers and has made 50 appearances during his time at the Glasgow club.
Liverpool ended up finishing third in the 2020/21 season, with academy graduates Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams featuring heavily at centre-back during the back end of the campaign.
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