Klopp thrilled by double defender capture  

Jurgen Klopp has expressed his delight in signing Ozan Kabak from German club Schalke and Ben Davies from Preston on transfer deadline day.

The Reds received more crippling injury news on Monday with Joel Matip ruled out for the rest of the season with ankle ligament damage suffered against Tottenham last week.

He will now join Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez in getting in elite shape for the start of the 2021/22 season.

But in terms of this campaign it will be down to the two new additions along with Nat Phillips, Rhys Williams and if need be, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to see if they can lead the Reds to back to back league title and progression in the Champions League.

Speaking firstly about the 20 year-old Turkish international, Klopp told the Official site that Kabak who joins the club on loan for the rest of the season with a option to buy at the end of it is at the right age to make such a big move.

“He is only 20 now. He plays in his second club [in Germany]; he is at Schalke and unfortunately they are in a bad position in the moment. For him, I think it’s a really good moment to make the move because, like each player in the world, you need a stable team around you and that’s what we can deliver.

“We deliver a stable team and you can play your position, you don’t have to be 20 with pretty much everything on the pitch and not allowed to make mistakes anymore.

“He’s really a big, big talent and we are really looking forward to working with him.”

Klopp was given a outstanding character reference of Kabak’s talents by one of his best friends in former Schalke and Huddersfield manager Dave Wagner who believes he can be a future captain.

“Dave was very, very positive about him,”. “He came very young to Germany and everybody was clear he was a massive talent.

“Dave always said he will be a future captain of a team. He is a proper personality,”

“When you go abroad in that young age, to another country and play for other clubs, he could have played in Turkey in each club he wants. 

“Goes then to Stuttgart, goes then to Schalke. He could have gone anywhere but he wanted to make football steps and we are a proper football step for him.

“He wants to learn but he can deliver already.”

While Kabak has European and international experience, Ben Davies came through the youth ranks at Preston North End while making loan stops at York City and Fleetwood amongst others.

For the past three and a bit seasons, The 25 year-old has been an omnipresent figure in the heart of the Lilywhites defence.

Despite not having any Premier League experience, Klopp has no doubt Davies who captained and won a number of individual awards at the Championship club can make the grade.

“What I like about Ben is it just shows that each situation creates opportunities. 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. 

“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. We see the quality and we see the potential as well because he’s 25 and there’s a lot to come for him.

“I love a lot about his play. He’s a really good footballer, looks like a proper leader in this Preston team, good in challenges, looks football smart, can play different positions because he played in a back three and a back four and all these things.

"That makes him really interesting so I’m really looking forward to working with him. I know for him it’s an opportunity and I see it exactly the same for us that it’s a really good thing to do."

Coming from a middle of the road Championship team to the defending league Champions would be daunting proposition, but also one that footballers only dream of.

The manager says that he will have plenty of people around him for support.

“We could have asked and he said, ‘I’d prefer to stay at Preston or go somewhere else where I play 40-odd games per season.’ So this is a challenge but it’s an opportunity – a big, big opportunity. I see it exactly like that. 

“We have centre-halves and what we have to bring in is different qualities and that we are all really ready for the challenges ahead of us. 

“It can be a wonderful story and it’s all about Ben and me to make sure this story will be really great. And we believe 100 per cent in development. I’m sure he wants to learn still, we are ready to teach still, to coach still. I’m really looking forward to meeting him.”

Meanwhile Takumi Minamino will spend the second half of the season on loan at Southampton with Saints manager Ralph Hassenhuttl expressing his delight.

“I am very pleased to welcome Takumi to our squad for the rest of the season.

“He will help provide another good attacking option, and importantly the right profile of player for us.

“This will give us additional depth in our squad at an important time, and I am looking forward to beginning work with him on the training pitch."