Little to suggest that Ben Davies would be an improvement | OneFootball

Celtic were asleep at the wheel in January 2021, when having approached Preston North End to confirm their interest in signing Ben Davies on a pre-contract deal, the old adage that time kills deals rang true.

As Celtic waited until the end of that month to return to Preston, having approached the club initially in the early stages of the transfer window, they found having not signed and sealed the deal early, they were gazumped by a Liverpool team in the midst of a defensive crisis and Davies headed to Anfield for a mere £1.6m.

Since then, links with Davies have popped up in every transfer window, and they have again in this one. Yet things have changed dramatically for both Davies and Celtic.

Photo: Craig Galloway

The player has been a Liverpool player in name, but in practice he’s been a mere spectator. And although now part of Liverpool’s pre-season plans, you can be certain when the real thing kicks off the best Davies could expect is a view from the stand.

Meanwhile a Neil Lennon regime that looked to sign Ben Davies for Celtic has been replaced by a League Cup and Scottish Premiership boss and team, and the brand of football is in stark contrast to the tactical approach of the previous manager.

Now, should Celtic consider returning to this deal, they would be expected to fork out £4m to secure the services of Davies, quite the difference from what they’d have been expected to pay in January of last year, and now the player doesn’t appear to be one worth taking such an expensive gamble on.

Last season Davies spent last season on loan with Championship side Sheffield United. In a season where United made, but failed to progress from, the Play-Offs, Davies made 22 appearances for the Bramall Lane side. But crucially the expensive Liverpool loanee failed to impress, and by the time the play-offs came around Davies having struggled for form dropped out the team and was replaced by Jack Robinson.

There is a proviso to all that to consider, in that Davies was playing predominately in a defensive back-three with Sheffield United, yet as Celtic look to not only defend a league title but also tackle the group stages of the Champions League, it would be a concern to entrust such a job to a player who was dropped from a team who ultimately failed in a promotion bid from the Championship.

Celtic may have dallied in the transfer window of January 2021 and missing out on the player was a sore one to take at the time, but in truth – bar signing for Liverpool when the Anfield club were in defensive dire straits – there has been little to suggest since that Ben Davies would be an improvement on what Celtic already have at the club, and if as reported, the fee is in excess of £4m to secure the player’s services, it’s safe to say there are alternatives to Ben Davies out there that would likely be far better value.

Niall J