Who is Ben Davies? Stats, strengths and weaknesses of Liverpool's shock signing
It's been a whirlwind week for Liverpool supporters in the run-in to deadline day. After spending most of the month ruling out a new centre-back arrival, Liverpool are now looking at potentially signing two on deadline day. The first through the door will be Preston's Ben Davies, while Marseille's Duje Caleta-Car and Schalke's Ozan Kabak are also being explored with time running out.
Liverpool's defence has been a massive issue all season. Jurgen Klopp has remarkably been forced to experiment with 12 different centre-back combinations across their 21 Premier League matches this season and a different partnership in each of their last four. So why Liverpool have waited until the final hours of the transfer window to act is a whole new conversation, but for now Liverpool supporters will understandably be asking who new recruit, Davies, even is.
Out of contract at the end of the season, Liverpool have secured Davies' services in a cut-price £2m deal ahead of Scottish giants Celtic. Sepp van den Berg will also move in the opposite direction and spend the rest of the season on loan with the Championship outfit.
Liverpool have 21 fewer points at this stage than they did when they won the league last season and injuries in defence has destablised the entire team. Having to play Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, arguably Liverpool's two most important midfielders, in defence more often than not has certainly not helped. It's taken longer than Klopp would have liked, but Liverpool have finally made their move in the transfer window.
With Preston straddling mid-table in the Championship with one of the worst defensive records in the division, Liverpool supporters may understandably be wondering whether their club are making the right decision, albeit you would be foolish to seriously question Michael Edwards' judgement. Of course patience will be required with Davies, but fans only need to be reminded they signed Andy Robertson from a relegated Hull to realise who you play for doesn't mean all too much.
There is clearly an element of risk with Davies from Liverpool's perspective. He has never played above the Championship and you never quite know how they will make the transition despite the glowing scout reports Liverpool no doubt received. But there are clearly elements to Davies that have appealed to Liverpool.
No one is expecting Davies to suddenly transform into Virgil van Dijk, and at just over 6 foot tall, he certainly isn't as physically imposing as the aforementioned Dutchman. An aerial duel success rate of just 64% could be an issue, though that side of the game isn't likely to be put to the test as frequently as it is in the Championship.
Certainly not the most dominant of centre-backs in the air, Davies makes up for that with his reading of the game. Liverpool's new centre-back completed 88% of his attempted tackles for Preston this season, ranking sixth of all players in the Championship (25+ attempted). In fact, Davies completed 83% of his attempted tackles across three-and-a-half seasons in the Championship, while a return of 1.2 interceptions pg in that time also points to a proactive defender, willing to step forward in front of his opponent to steal the ball back.
A pass success rate of 79% doesn't suggest it, but Davies is happy playing out from the back and that should be seen better at a side more capable of doing so like Liverpool. It's certainly what Klopp asks of his defenders so they wouldn't have taken a punt on Davies if they didn't think he could manage it. In fact, Davies has played a greater proportion of his passes forward this season (44.8%) than any current Liverpool centre-back, with Nat Phillips the closest challenger (34.4%). Moreover, Davies' isn't easily flustered in possession, illustrated by just one error leading to an opposition goal in 55 league games since the beginning of last season.
It's still unclear where Davies will slot into the Liverpool pecking order. Certainly above Rhys Williams and you will more than likely see him start over Nat Phillips when the opposition don't pose much of a threat in the air. As a left-sided centre-back he will fill Van Dijk's role and crucially allow Henderson back into midfield, though game time will be limited if Liverpool are successful in landing one of Kabak or Caleta-Car before the window shuts.
