Deadline Day: Liverpool sign two defenders as Minamino joins Southampton

By Sports Desk February 01, 2021

Liverpool's need for defensive reinforcements was always likely to dominate the headlines on transfer deadline day and so it proved as the Premier League champions made two late signings.

Centre-back Ben Davies arrived from Preston North End, while Liverpool made a further addition to the heart of their backline with the loan signing of Ozan Kabak from Bundesliga strugglers Schalke until the end of the season.

Those signings came on a day that saw Joel Matip ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle ligament injury. Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are long-term absentees and Liverpool were forced to play Jordan Henderson and Nathaniel Phillips at centre-back in Sunday's win at West Ham.

Heading for the Anfield exit door is Takumi Minamino, the forward moving to Southampton on a six-month loan deal having only joined Liverpool last January.

It came after Southampton loaned veteran Shane Long to promotion-chasing Championship side Bournemouth.

Bournemouth also sanctioned the departure of Joshua King to Everton for a nominal fee until the end of the season.

There were outgoings at Arsenal as well, with Shkodran Mustafi signing for Schalke on a short-term deal and Joe Willock going on loan to Newcastle United, who let DeAndre Yedlin leave for Galatasaray.

Arsenal also sent Ainsley Maitland-Niles to West Brom on loan.

Turkish giants Galatasaray acquired Gedson Fernandes on a temporary deal from Benfica following an unsuccessful stint at Tottenham.

In Serie A, Parma landed Bayern Munich's teenage forward Joshua Zirkzee in a loan deal that contains the option to sign the 19-year-old permanently.

Atalanta are firmly in contention for a top-four finish in Serie A and bolstered their ranks for that push with the capture of Ukraine midfielder Viktor Kovalenko from Shakhtar Donetsk.

Roma can afford to have hopes of a title challenge and brought in teenage full-back Bryan Reynolds from MLS outfit Dallas on an initial loan deal, with an obligation to buy, to help them.

Frozen out at Juventus, midfielder Sami Khedira is back in the Bundesliga following a switch to Hertha Berlin, but one of European football's most exciting talents is heading to Italy after Udinese signed Jayden Braaf on loan from Manchester City with an option to buy.

Elsewhere, Everton defender Jonjoe Kenny joined Celtic on loan for the rest of the season, Brighton and Hove Albion signed highly rated midfielder Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle, West Brom loaned Okay Yokuslu from Celta Vigo and defender Teden Mengi moved from Manchester United to Wayne Rooney's Derby County on a temporary basis.

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    Captain Owayne Gordon was the hero of the night, scoring the decisive goal in the 40th minute to secure all three points for Rodolfo Zapata’s side. The win, their third of the campaign, moved Montego Bay United up to second on nine points, one point off leaders Cavalier on 10 points, while Arnett Gardens slipped to seventh on four points.

    Zapata was visibly pleased with his team’s performance, lauding the effort and determination shown by the players throughout the match.

    “I knew it was going to be a very exciting game; it was very interesting from a tactical aspect, and tactics are very important, but if you don’t have the technique, it won’t work. So I am very proud of my boys and the performance they put in," the Argentine tactician said.

    “They (Arnett Gardens) are a good team so I have different tactical systems that I work with in games like these. We started with 3-3-3-1, and during the game I had to change, but my players responded to my coaching, and I am so proud of them, especially of that high-class finish,” he added.

    It was a lively start by teams as they showed good attacking intent in end-to-end action, much to the delight of the sizeable crowd.

    Both threw their weight in attack and tested their respective goalkeeper’s readiness in a few half chances in the opening half-hour.

    However, Montego Bay United, led by Gordon, gradually gained the ascendancy, as they were more enterprising in the attacking third, stretching Arnett Gardens defence, which was slow to regroup.

    The all-important goal by Gordon, his 77th in an outstanding JPL career, was the culmination of a well-executed build up that showcased Montego Bay United’s swift and effective transition play.

    Gordon collected a pass on the break down the left channel and held his composure to delicately finish over the head of Asher Hutchinson in goal for Arnett Gardens to put Montego Bay United up at the break.

    Montego Bay United remained in control at the restart and should have extended the lead on two occasions, but faulty execution proved their undoing.

    The first came in the 48th when Gordon whipped in a weighted cross, but Lucas Lima Correa couldn't connect properly to get his header on target.

    Nine minutes later, Tyrone Harrison danced his way through two defenders and fired on a cross for Shaneil Thomas, who steered the effort wide of the left upright. 

    As the chances came far and few in between, Arnett Gardens had their best look at goal in 69th when Warner Brown found himself with space and time to set for a left-footed effort from deep inside the 18-yard box. However, the usually clinical attacker hit his shot wide of the right upright, and that effort basically summed up the “Junglists” night.

    Head coach Xavier Gilbert acknowledged that they were found wanting for the most parts.

    “To be honest, Mobay was committed. I don’t think we were committed as much, especially in the first half, and it is something that we spoke about because we can’t give away the ball and don’t have that urgency to win it back immediately. It has been haunting us for the last four or five games, but we are still trying to fix it.

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    Humble Lion 1, Harbour View 1

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    Iniesta, who also played for Japanese side Vissel Kobe, most recently played for UAE Pro League club Emirates and had the option to extend his contract until 2025, but has instead decided to hang up his boots.

    The midfielder started his career at Barcelona, joining at the age of 12 before making his senior debut in 2002.

    He went on to make 674 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions, the fourth-most in the history of the club, behind Lionel Messi (778), Xavi (767) and Sergio Busquets (722).

    "Please allow me to be a little emotional today..." a tearful Iniesta said at a press conference on Tuesday.

    "I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it. Yes, all these tears we have shed these days are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness.

    "They are tears of that boy from a small town like Fuentealbilla, who had the dream of being a footballer and we achieved it after a lot of hard work, sacrifice... of never giving up, essential values in my life. I feel very proud of this path, with all the people who have accompanied me." 

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    While at Barcelona, he won 29 major honours, including nine LaLiga titles, four Champions League, two UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups.

    Iniesta also made 131 appearances for Spain, the fifth-most in the history of the male national team, and famously scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final as La Roja lifted the trophy for the first time.

    His strike in the 116th minute against the Netherlands (115:54 exactly) is the latest winning goal in the showpiece match in the history of the tournament.

    He was also a part of Spain's European Championship successes in 2008 and 2012, being named the Player of the Tournament at the latter edition.

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    She has been with the club since 2012, winning 23 trophies with the senior side to sit eighth in the all-time ranking for most titles with the Catalan giants.

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    In an interview with Sky Sports, Bonmati was asked if she could foresee a scenario in which she never leaves Barca, and she is open to the idea. 

    "Yes, that would be nice to be a one-club player," the creative midfielder said.

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    "I'd never close the door. You never know what might happen in the future. But for now, I'm here for four more years, so I want to enjoy."

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    Bonmati appreciates the growing strength of the WSL, saying the investment in women's football in England compares favourably with that seen in Spain.

    "It's a league that is so nice because England are investing a lot in women's football since the Euros – I cannot say the same about here in Spain," she said.

    "Of course, it's a league that we have to keep watching, to be like them for helping women's football grow."

    Barcelona open their Women's Champions League campaign against City on Wednesday, having been drawn into Group D alongside Hammarby and St Polten.

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