Liverpool exploited a contract-clause to beat Celtic to Preston North End ace Ben Davies
According to the Sunday People Sport (h/t Mirror), Liverpool exploited a key clause in Celtic’s offer to Ben Davies to ensure they trumped the Scots to the Championship star.
With all three first-choce centre-backs injured, Jurgen Klopp was handed the further ignominy of losing Fabinho for a short spell. With no fit senior defender to call upon, the Reds left it late to dip into the January transfer market.
As seen by the club in recent windows, Liverpool once again made a transfer move that surprised onlookers. Ben Davies would not have featured on many fans’ wishlist but has now been tasked with filling in for the champions for the second half of the season.
The 25-year-old is an experienced player who was in the final months of his contract at Preston North End. He looked all set to move to Celtic on July 1 after agreeing on personal terms for a pre-contract agreement.
The Hoops inserted a clause requiring the defender to be injury-free and fit to play while reporting for duty. An understandable condition, it gave Liverpool the ammo they needed to slip the deal on its head.
The clause appeared to have caused some hesitation from Davies’ end and gave the Reds enough time to convince the player to move to Anfield instead. With all due respect to Celtic, an opportunity to play for Liverpool comes only so often.
A shrewd investment!
The Reds secured Davies in a deal worth £1.6m. The agreement also saw Dutch U-19 defender Sepp van den Berg going the other way on loan. Signing Davies is a win-win situation for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s side has signed an experienced player for a pittance and could very easily sell him off for a profit if things don’t work out.
For Davies, however, it is the opportunity of a lifetime and we hope he will go on to be a success in Red. After all, we too like a fairy tale as much as the next guy.
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Had Celtic not inserted the clause and focussed on getting the deal done, it is possible that a contract may have been signed before Liverpool entered the fray. Thankfully, it wasn’t and we do owe the Scottish champions some gratitude for leaving a door open for us to make a move.
