Liverpool completes signing of Ragnar Klavan, fills the need for a defender

The Liverpool Football Club has completed the signing FC Augsburg’s Ragnar Klavan to a long-term contract last Wednesday, accomplishing the team’s need for a defender.

Liverpool announced on their website that Klavan, who had in excess of 120 appearances in the Bundesliga, has signed with the team completing his transfer after successfully passing the medical and agreeing to personal terms. The centre-back also has over a century of caps for Estonia.

I’m really honoured to be part of this amazing club, this amazing team,” Klavan said. “It’s hard to put it into words because it’s been a dream of mine for 22 years to come to the Premier League and be a part of this amazing club, Liverpool.”

Klavan also considers the Premier League the “most attractive league in the world” as a lot of amazing players are playing in the league. He said that the Premier League is “the home of football.”

Liverpool signed Klavan as a cover at centre-back following the departure and injuries of some of the club’s key players.

Foxsports reports that Liverpool’s Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez both have injuries and will miss time, while Tiago Ilori is going to the Olympics with Portugal. Ilori could have been the club’s fallback option.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had been in the market for a defender following the departure of Kolo Toure this summer and the injury to Sakho. Sakho is still recovering from an Achilles injury and is expected to miss the start of the Premier League.

Klopp sees Klavan as the ideal man to offer back-up and leadership to the team, a role that Toure used to do for the club. The 30-year-old Estonian international becomes the fifth new player added to Liverpool this summer so far. He joins Loris Karius, Joel Matip, Sadio Mane and Marko Grujic.