There have been major changes in Liverpool’s defence since the end of the 2015/16 season. Kolo Toure has been released and Martin Skrtel sold to Fenerbahce. Promising youngster Joe Gomez and Mamadou Sakho are both injured, and may not be available for the initial fixtures of the upcoming season. Klopp has already brought in centre-back Joel Matip from Schalke on a free transfer, but it’s clear that the squad could use some more depth in this position.
Enter Ragnar Klavan. Jurgen Klopp has signed the 6ft 1in centre back to alleviate some of the issues faced by the squad. At 30 years old, he is certainly not a signing for the future, but his experience will be beneficial to the club as well as the players around him. Klopp is well aware of Klavan’s abilities from his time spent in Germany.
#1 Football runs in his blood
Ragnar’s father Dzintar Klavan was also a professional footballer himself. As a midfielder, he earned 19 caps for the Estonian national team. He also played for JK Viljandi Tulevik - the same club his son would go on to later play for at the age of 16.
Ragnar made his first team debut for FC Elva at 15 years old. They are a club that competes in the Esiliiga B - the third tier of Estonian football. He played there for a year before following his dad’s footsteps and going to Tulevik. After two years there, he proceeded to play for Valerenga (on loan), Heracles Almelo and AZ Alkmaar (on loan) before signing with FC Augsburg.
He was also voted Estonian player of the year three times. His fellow countrymen obviously realise how important he is to his teams, both club and country.
#2 Versatile and adept defender
Klavan currently plies his trade at FC Augsburg and is also the captain of the Estonian national team. In the 15/16 season with Augsburg, he averaged less than one foul per match and picked up only two bookings throughout the entire season. Clearly, he is a clean, fair and reliable tackler, but is also known to be strong and tough in his challenges.
Although relatively unknown to those who follow the Premier League, Ragnar was one of the most important players in the run which lead to FC Augsburg’s highest ever finish in the Bundesliga - 5th place.
He has proven himself to be adept at playing the ball out of the defence, thus helping his team retain possession even when under pressure. He is usually able to dominate aerially, which will help defend set pieces - an area of the game where Liverpool could surely use some improvement.
#3 Started his career in midfield
Much like his father, Ragnar began his professional career in midfield as an advanced playmaker. having modelled his play on his childhood football hero Zinedine Zidane.
After signing for Heracles Almelo, he was converted to a left back. During his loan spell at AZ Alkmaar, he changed position yet again and filled in as a centre back. No doubt, his experience playing in differing positions has contributed to his ability to read the game and has made him a more intelligent footballer.
Jurgen Klopp is surely aware of the player’s adaptability, which would have been a factor in making him one of the transfer targets for Liverpool in this summer transfer window. Because of his familiarity in different areas of the field, the manager can look to him in an emergency situation to not only fill in anywhere across the back line but even in midfield if required.
#4 Had the opportunity to play in the EPL earlier
When he was still a teenager playing at JK Viljandi Tulevik, Klavan was offered a trial by Sunderland. Unfortunately, he was unable to make the most of this opportunity, and nothing materialised from it.
In 2015 Everton had shown interest in signing Klavan from FC Augsburg. They made an approach for him, with Klavan’s agent going on to say "You have to know that it is his dream to play in the Premier League once. “However, the Estonian veteran then ended up publicly rejecting a transfer to Goodison Park, stating that the lack of European football was one of the main reasons for his decision against the move. That can’t have done him any harm in the eyes of Liverpool fans everywhere.”
Now, 14 years after his trial at Sunderland, Ragnar Klavan may finally be coming to the Premier League, allowing him to fulfil his dream while wearing a Liverpool jersey.
#5 Had a previous connection with Louis Van Gaal
After his unsuccessful trial at Sunderland, Ragnar was given the chance to display his abilities in a trial for Ajax, which was under the management of Danny Blind at the time. Blind was impressed with the teenager, but as Technical Director of the club, Van Gaal overruled the decision to make the move happen.
A few years later while Klavan was plying his trade at Heracles Almelo, LVG was the manager at AZ Alkmaar. Van Gaal once invited the player to his office and quizzed him on the tactical set-up of his AZ team. Hugely impressed with Ragnar’s knowledge of the game, Van Gaal immediately offered him the chance to play for Alkmaar.
Klavan accepted the offer, and thus officially became an AZ Alkmaar player. In the second half of the 2008/09 season, Klavan was an integral part of the AZ defence which set a club record of 28 games unbeaten.
