Speaking on the Transfer Window Podcast, Duncan Castles has shared what recruitment specialists told him about Ozan Kabak when he joined Liverpool.
The Turkish centre-half arrived on a six-month loan deal on deadline day in January, and it’s fair to say that he’s had something of a rocky beginning to his life at Anfield, starring in the Champions League, but faltering thus far in domestic competition.
“You were looking at a market where prices were reduced and they could have signed a top centre-back for a lower amount of money that they would have been available for pre-pandemic,” Castles said of Liverpool’s hunt for a centre-back.
“Instead they signed Ozan Kabak who is a good player on the ball, a good passer of the ball. I talked to a couple of recruitment specialists when he signed, and they both said ‘I don’t see him being a Liverpool player, more a player for La Liga’.”
This is certainly an interesting revelation, and perhaps it explains why he’s struggled in the Premier League, but flourished in Europe.
Kabak does seem to have a bit of quality about him, but the fast-paced, physical nature of the Premier League does seem to be catching him out a little bit.
Fortunately, he’s only 20 years old, and if he stays at Liverpool beyond this initial loan spell, he will be working under one of the best managers in the world who will almost certainly be able to get him up to speed.
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