The former Birmingham City loan player has joined Oxford United and looks to have played his last game with Rangers
Ben Davies celebrates Birmingham City's victory over Shrewsbury
Ben Davies has joined Oxford United
Ben Davies has opened up on the transfer that has effectively brought an end to his Rangers career.
The centre-back has signed on a season-long loan with Gary Rowett ’s Oxford United – and in doing so made a return to the Championship for the first time since joining Sheffield United on loan from Liverpool in the 2021/22 season.
He does so having spent last season as a big part of Birmingham City’s League One title charge and having entered the final campaign of the Rangers deal he signed when he moved to Ibrox from Anfield in 2022.
While he did feature in Champions and Europa Leagues in small measures, last season he played just three times before moving to Blues and in 2023/24 made only 17 appearances.
He has not been involved this summer and Russell Martin has not used him at all this season, precipitating a move to Oxford.
“I'm delighted to be here,” Davies told the Us website. “I've had a preseason where I haven't really featured too much and I thought that the best option was to look to play football elsewhere this year.
“Then I heard obviously of the interest from Oxford and I was really keen from the start, the manager when I spoke to him really sold it to me.
“The area of Oxford and Oxfordshire is meant to be beautiful and amazing and I think this is a football club and a football team that can really step up this year.”
Addressing his experience with Rangers – and Blues last season – he said: “Rangers is a top football club where, the demand is high and the fanbase is incredible and they demand that you win.
“So I think that that's something that you can definitely take moving forward that demand to win and the demands that you need to put on each other to perform. Being up there has definitely helped me grow as a person and as a player
“It [last season] was a time when I needed to go out and play, so I thought ‘40-plus games’ and luckily I managed to do that. The set up there [Birmingham] was great and it was a club where everyone was really pulling in the right direction together.
“And I think that kind of togetherness, the things that you gain through experience of seeing different things where it can really help.
“Obviously I've not met anyone really here yet, but if we can get a big, big togetherness then I think that would really help us going forward.”
Rowett said Us will take is slowly with Davies in terms of integrating him into the side.
"He’s been training with a group up there at Rangers. Whilst he’s been training continuously, he’ll be very low on game minutes and very low on training with big spaces and big numbers.
“I think we’ll have to make sure we get that right. He’s had an injury history where I think if we get it right at the start, he’ll play lots of games for us.
“If we get it wrong from the start and we’re too keen to get him involved, then you run the risk of him breaking down.
“Probably I would say, he’ll not quite be ready for the weekend, and then hopefully he’ll be ready for the game after the international break.”