Estonian centre back Ragnar Klavan has today completed a transfer from Liverpool to Cagliari. The 32-year-old had been at the Merseyside club for two seasons as a reserve centre-half.
Ragnar Klavan Makes Cagliari Switch
As Klavan enters the twilight years of his career, the move to the Italian top division makes sense. The style of play is generally slower with more focus on passing than pace. This makes defending a lot easier for slower defenders such as Klavan.
Another reason for the Estonian’s move will be in search of regular minutes on the pitch. With a large number of central defenders at Liverpool, this was hard to come by for Klavan.
The signing of Klavan to Liverpool was a strange move in itself. No one had heard of the 30-year-old defender from Augsburg and it was seen as a somewhat bizarre purchase from Klopp. However, the transfer would pay dividends over the course of his two seasons at the club.
Klavan was something of a fan favourite at Liverpool. A no-nonsense defender, Klavan would regularly put in crunching tackles which would delight the Liverpool supporters. He also possessed an element of elegance and skill which was frequently shown in the Cruyff turns performed in his own half. Klavan scored two goals for Liverpool, most memorably a stoppage-time winner against Burnley last season. This goal was the catalyst for the nickname ‘King Klavan’ which was affectionately given by the Red’s supporters.
Whilst in no way damaging Liverpool’s squad in terms of quality, fans will be sad to see a genuinely nice player leave. After 53 appearances for the club, Klavan will leave for £2 million, which is half of his original fee.
Cagliari have gained an experienced central defender who captains his national side. He is a talented professional and can help them shore up their defence for the season ahead.
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