Louis Moult reckons Rangers new boy Ben Davies would already have been a Premiership star had Liverpool not coming calling. The Light Blues confirmed the £4million signing of their long-term target from the Anfield club on Wednesday night.
Rangers and Celtic had both pitched for the defender when he was coming out of contract at Preston in 2021 but a late injury crisis at Liverpool saw Jurgen Klopp come in and blow everyone else out of the water. Moult admitted his-then Preston teammates had asked him for the inside track into Scottish football and looked to be heading north with the Light Blues and Celtic both keen before Liverpool came in to torpedo them.
Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has continued to keep close tabs on Davies and with Calvin Bassey’s pending big-money departure he knew he was the perfect left-sided defensive replacement. The new signing was introduced to the Ibrox crowd in the midweek friendly win over West Ham and Moult said: “I remember speaking to Ben at the time when all the interest was there from teams in Scotland and England.
“He was asking me about Scotland and the Scottish game. He asked my opinion about the Scottish game. I said to him at the time that if I were him I would jump at the chance because it is a great league, the football is good and it puts you in the spotlight right away.
“It didn’t quite materialise because he ended up getting that dream move to Liverpool, so you can’t really blame him for not going to Scotland at that point. I know Ben had been keen on going to Scotland. If it hadn’t been for the madness of a move to Liverpool then it probably would have happened a couple of years ago.
“It has all worked out in the end and he is now at Rangers, which is great. I really think he will suit the Scottish game. I really believe he will thrive in it and love it.”
Davies is now 26 and Moult knows the big defender is heading to Rangers in his prime. The former Motherwell star reckons Davies has everything a modern day defender needs, from pace and physique to being really good on the ball. Moult believes he will be a real asset to Rangers and especially on the Champions League stage.
The striker insisted: “First and foremost, he is a really nice guy. He is one of the good guys. I was with him at Preston and as a player he is very comfortable on the ball and he has a great left foot.
‘Defensively, he is very good, quick and strong. The big thing for Rangers is how good and comfortable he is on the ball and he will build from the back.
“Ben is left-sided so he will give them that balance in defence but he will be big in stepping out and starting attacks and the build-up play. Ben is also very quick as a defender so the flip side is that it is very hard to get in behind him. I believe Rangers have a good one there.
“I know what it is like playing against Rangers and Celtic up there. They like building from the back and that will suit Rangers massively. He is so comfortable on the ball and that will be big for Rangers and especially in the European games, where sometimes you need that bit more quality.”
Davies’s dream move to Liverpool didn’t go the way he had hoped. It was always going to be hard when Virgil van Dijk and Co. were fully fit but Moult has insisted nobody could begrudge Davies his move. Moult is also adamant that Davies is good enough to play for the Reds and, had circumstances been different, he could have made his mark.
But he knows that Liverpool’s loss is Rangers’ gain and Davies will be desperate to get back playing regularly and to the level that saw him become such an in-demand defender when he was at Preston. Moult said: “The Liverpool move was a massive compliment to him but he deserved it.
“I remember people asking me if he was good enough when he got the move to Liverpool? I told everybody who asked me that if he gets a chance then believe me he won’t look out of place in the Liverpool team.
“I remember saying to him at the time, you have earned this move, go believe in yourself and give it your best shot. He didn’t have the best of times there. He had a couple of injuries but on and off the ball he has everything a top defender needs.
"I am certain Rangers will see the best of him. All he needs is a run of games and I am sure as he is settled then you will see everything come together.”
Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst is hoping that will be the case as Davies looks set to be a big part of his new-look squad. Last season’s Europa League finalists have already brought in Scotland defender John Souttar from Hearts, striker Antonio Colak from PAOK, midfielder Tom Lawrence from Derby County, winger Rabbi Matondo from Schalke and Malok Tillman from Bayern Munich.
Rangers are still likely to be active again before the close of the transfer window as van Bronckhorst looks to finalise his team ahead of the Premiership kick-off and the Champions League qualifiers.
