It was a very busy deadline day for Liverpool on Monday, as they brought in two new players and had another one leave. The moves came a day after Liverpool dismantled West Ham 3-1 in London, moving Liverpool up to third in the table.
The Reds now head back to Anfield on Wednesday, where they’ll host Brighton, which will be their third match in seven days. (For the Liverpool starting XI prediction go here)
Coming In
It was no secret that Liverpool needed central defenders, with all three of their senior center backs injured. Liverpool got just what they needed, signing Ben Davies from Preston North End and getting Ozan Kabak from Schalke on loan with an option to buy.
With Davies, Liverpool get a left-footed center half that was one of the most coveted in the Championship. Davies seemed set on heading to Celtic in the summer, before Liverpool later swooped in.
Kabak was a Liverpool target this summer, but at the time Schalke were looking for 35 million euro for the player. Liverpool get him on loan for half a season now, with an option to buy for 18 million at the end of the season.
Both incoming players will be thrust into the line-up soon. While deadline day was action packed for Liverpool, it was pretty much a snooze fest for the rest of the Premier League. A couple more deals were done here and there, but for the most part….yawn.
probably.
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) February 2, 2021
boring #transferwindow overall but #DeadlineDay was extremely dull and uneventful. #TransferDeadlineDay https://t.co/7UmmFUI3pb pic.twitter.com/qskwwpddus
Heading Out
Liverpool also sent a couple of players out on loan Monday. Seep van den Berg will head to Preston on loan for the rest of the season.
Takumi Minamino sealed a late loan move to Southampton as well. Minamino has struggled to get into the rotation at Liverpool since coming over last season. The move will give him a chance for minutes, and clears an international player slot for Liverpool as they bring in Kabak.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl said: “I am very pleased to welcome Takumi to our squad for the rest of this season. He will help provide another good attacking option, and is importantly the right profile of player for us.
“This will give us some additional depth in our squad at an important time, and I am looking forward to beginning work with him on the training pitch.”
Injury News
Jurgen Klopp confirmed Monday that Joel Matip is out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Matip joins Joe Gomez as Liverpool central defenders out for the year. Liverpool haven’t officially ruled out Virgil van Dijk, but he is unlikely to play a big part this season as he recovers from an ACL injury.
Naby Keita and Diogo Jota are still out, but they could be returning in the next couple of weeks. James Milner had a minor hamstring issue that forced him off against West Ham, but he should be available. The big question comes with Sadio Mane, who didn’t play against West Ham with a minor muscle injury.
He may be available Wednesday, but as a date with Manchester City looms on Sunday, Liverpool may rest him one more match. The same can be said with Fabinho, who has missed the past two games with a muscle injury.
Betting Lines
Liverpool are -230 favorites on Wednesday. Brighton are +750 underdogs, with a draw coming in at +750 odds.