Liverpool have been tipped to add two new defenders to their ranks on transfer deadline day, with Stephen Warnock expecting Jurgen Klopp to seek out a long-term option on top of prising Ben Davies away from Preston.
The Reds are set to do a cut-price deal with the Lilywhites for a player who is due to hit free agency in the summer.
Warnock admits that looking for Davies to step up from the Championship into a Premier League title-winning squad is a “big ask”, even when taking into account the Reds’ lack of options during an unfortunate injury crisis.
With that in mind, the former Liverpool full-back believes another more proven addition may be sought as Klopp seeks to ensure that he has the numbers and quality at his disposal to see things through to the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
Warnock told Stadium Astro of Davies and potential movement on Merseyside: “He’s comfortable on the ball, they wouldn’t sign him if he wasn’t. He looks more than happy playing as a ball-playing centre-half.
Next Match
“The step up from going from Preston to Liverpool is a big ask, that’s never going to be easy for him, but it looks like a solution for a short-term gain just to plug that gap for a while.
“Would he come in and play straightaway in front of Jordan Henderson and Nat Phillips? It looks like Ben Davies will possibly come in as back-up, and I think another player will come in as well.
“I do think Liverpool will look to not just bring one defender in, they will look to bring two in.
“The club might look to someone who is a little bit longer term. Ben Davies could be a fix for a short period of time.
“The signing of another centre-back could be a long-term gain – someone who might come in and try to cement a place in the team. I think it’s definitely possible from Liverpool.
“Think back to the end of last season when Liverpool were linked to different players and they went about their work quietly and bought Diogo Jota. They like a smoke screen and are very good at doing it.”
Pressed on who the Reds could look to land ahead of the latest deadline, Warnock added: “I do think it will be someone from the Premier League of the Championship again because to get a player in to do a medical in these circumstances is going to be very, very tough for clubs to do.”
Liverpool have been able to make do in their last two Premier League fixtures, with a makeshift centre-half pairing of Henderson and Phillips helping Klopp’s side to victories over Tottenham and West Ham.