What happened to Liverpool's weirdest ever January signing three years on?

Liverpool have been involved in some of the most memorable transfers in the history of the January window - but their business hasn't always been successful.

On one side of the scale, the Reds brought in Luis Suarez from Ajax for £22.8 million in 2011, with the Uruguayan going on to become one of the most potent strikers in Premier League history.

The likes of Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge, Luis Diaz and Martin Skrtel were all signed in the first month of the year, while who can forget Virgil van Dijk's much-heralded arrival in 2018?

But with all that talent, there have also been some players that simply didn't succeed at Anfield.

The most high-profile of those would surely be the 2012 arrival of Andy Carroll, for whom the Reds had to pay Newcastle a heavily inflated £35 million to sign after the £50 million sale of Fernando Torres to Chelsea.

Three years ago, meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp's desperate search for a centre-back to cover season-ending injuries to Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Van Dijk saw him end up at Championship side Preston North End on February 1, 2021.

The Lilywhites had failed to sign star centre-back Ben Davies to a new contract, and with his current deal expiring the following summer, the Reds swooped in and signed him for a discounted price.

Reds fans were mostly under no illusions that the left-footed centre-back had been brought in as a short-term measure, alongside the loan signing of Schalke defender Ozan Kabak on the same deadline day.

As it turned out, Klopp preferred to start Kabak, who produced some mixed displays in his 13 appearances for the club.

Davies appeared on the bench on several occasions over the remainder of that season, but never made a senior appearance.

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He returned to the Championship on loan for the 2021/22 season, but rather than a return to Deepdale, the Barrow-born defender joined newly-relegated Sheffield United.

The following summer, Davies was sold to Scottish giants Rangers for an initial £3 million - meaning Liverpool made a profit on the £500,000 they spent to sign the Englishman, despite him never playing a game.

Now 28, the centre-back remains at Rangers, despite reportedly being close to leaving the club last summer.

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He was even placed on corner duty during a match against Sparta Prague in October, an indication of his skill on the ball.

But he has made just four league appearances this term and, having missed the last month through injury, may be on the move again in the summer transfer window.

Speaking to Sheffield United's official website about why he initially made the move to Anfield, Davies reflected: "It's a move that you can never turn down. It was really exciting.

"The whole setup there is incredible. The club's like you wouldn't believe until you actually get in there and see it for yourself.

"So I've had a good six months or so, but obviously playing football is the most important thing to any footballer."