The 30-year-old could be considered a late bloomer, but is certainly capable of boosting Jurgen Klopp's defence with his solid tackling and fine passing ability PROFILE
The signing of a 30-year-old centre-back from a team that narrowly escaped the relegation play-offs in the Bundesliga last season is not one that will necessarily fill Liverpool fans with excitement and joy.
However, the arrival of Ragnar Klavan for £4.2 million is one that should be met with a lot of optimism.

In a similar fashion to that of Graziano Pelle, who underwhelmed for most of his career before shining for two years at Feyenoord to earn a big move to Southampton, Klavan is very much a late bloomer who has evolved immensely over the last three seasons.

The Estonian’s career trajectory has been a strange one.

Having played for three clubs in his homeland, he spent a season on loan at Norwegian side Valarenga before becoming a first-team regular at Eredivisie side Heracles.

After impressing in Almelo, he eventually joined fellow Dutch side AZ on loan in 2009 before making the move permanent, where he worked with Ronald Koeman and d!ck Advocaat.

However, it has been at Augsburg where Klavan has thrived and blossomed into one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga over the last three years.

Strong, composed and effective in aerial battles, he is a defender who likes to play high up the field, pressing opponents and winning the ball as quickly as possible, something which will help him settle in Jurgen Klopp’s system.

His passing on the ball has improved a great deal over the last two years.

For a long time it was a key weakness of his, but he completed 85.3% of the 1499 passes he made in 31 league games last term.

While his reading of opponents’ attacks may still hold him back, he is reliable when it comes to decisive moments. Only one player – now Liverpool team-mate Joel Matip, who played three more games - made more blocks than he did in the German top flight in 2015-16, while he only lost out on eight of his tackles.

“It’s hard to put it into words,” Klavan said upon his arrival at Liverpool. “It has been a dream of mine for 22 years to come to the Premier League and be a part of this amazing club, Liverpool.

“The Premier League is the most attractive league in the world and you always have amazing players here. This is the home of football.”

The dream has come true for Klavan at a late stage in his career, but he is ready for the step up. Big, strong and physical, he is not overly erratic or prone to mistakes.

He received only two yellow cards last term, conceding 26 fouls, while only one of his errors led to a shot.


He has been a reliable presence in the Augsburg first team, developing into a Premier League-worthy player, despite his team’s awful campaign overall. A welcome addition to the Reds’ backline, Klopp will be happy to call upon and rely on Klavan when he needs him.