Preston were busy on transfer deadline day, but there’s no mistaking what the biggest deal of the day was for North End.
Sure, there were three incomings as Liam Lindsay, Sepp van den Berg and Anthony Gordon all joined, whilst Josh Earl and David Nugent have joined Burton Albion and Tranmere Rovers on loan respectively.
Yet the biggest news of deadline day surrounded Ben Davies, who made a stunning move to Premier League champions Liverpool.
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Davies looked set to sign a pre-contract agreement with Celtic, but Liverpool swooped in at the last minute to take the centre back to Anfield.
Davies would have been able to leave for free in a matter of months, so Preston took a £1.6million deal including a 20% sell-on clause and a loan deal for Sepp van den Berg.
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The 25-year-old was on the bench for Liverpool in their 1-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion last night, and may be in contention to start against Manchester City this weekend.
It’s rare that fans support a player leaving for positive reasons, but many felt that Davies – who has been with Preston since the age of 11 – deserved such a huge move having starred in the Championship.
Now, Alex Neil has told Preston’s official Twitter account that he thinks people will be talking about a ‘real quality centre back’ if he gets his chance with Liverpool.
Neil predicts major success for Davies, believing that he is ready for the step up and will prove his quality if Jurgen Klopp gives him playing time – which may well happen after last night’s defeat.