Preston defender Ben Davies is reportedly set to join Celtic in a deal worth around £ 2.5million, after passing through the academy.
Just six months away from his contract, the defender has also attracted interest from Bournemouth and Rangers, but the Bhoys have claimed the advantage in the race for his signing.
But who is Preston’s Ben Davies? Here is everything you need to know about him …
Davies graduated from the academy in Preston North End, having joined the club at the age of 11. He progressed at all levels and was captain of the academy team before making his first team debut at 17.
Although he went through Preston’s academy, Davies has played in all levels of the English football pyramid except the Premier League.
He has represented Southport on loan in the National League, Tranmere, York and Newport County in League Two, Fleetwood Town in League One and Preston in the league. The only way is to go up.
After one of his many loan moves, Davies returned to the club and was installed as a premier left-back. Since then he has developed into a center-back where he has played every game this season, but he still has the legs to replace the full-back if needed.
WE. TO HAVE. FINISHED. HE. ?
AFTER 48 LONG YEARS, BARROW AFC IS BACK IN THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE !! ⬆️#On our way#BarrowsGoingUp pic.twitter.com/LFn2PSGiy0
– Barrow AFC (@BarrowAFC) June 17, 2020
Born in Barrow, Davies is a strong supporter of his home team. A quick scroll through his Twitter account proves it, with most of his recent retweets coming from the official AFC Barrow account.
This includes when they were promoted to the Football League last year after a 48-year absence.
Despite making his first-team debut at 17, Davies never received international recognition. He is only eligible to play for England and a stint at Celtic could help draw more attention to himself, although breaking into Gareth Southgate’s squad seems highly unlikely anytime soon.
If you’re a FIFA player, Davies is probably a useful pickup given his versatility.
In career mode, the 25-year-old starts off with a rating of 73, but that can go up to 79 if you give him the minutes. His Ultimate Team card is rated 72.
On PES 2021, it is rated 73.
