Liverpool are willing to listen to offers for centre-back Ragnar Klavan, who is looking for first-team football and could return to the Bundesliga.
The 32-year-old has been a valuable squad member during his time at Anfield but, now in the twilight of his playing career, he is looking for more regular game time.
Liverpool’s willingness to let him go is typical of the way they manage players’ needs. Jurgen Klopp recently commented that he did not want to sell Danny Ings to Southampton, and would have preferred him to stay at the club as a reserve, but the desire for these players to play regular football and continue their career as a first team regular elsewhere is always taken into account. Liverpool will not deny them this.
Klavan’s situation is similar to that of Ings, and if the reports are to be believed, then Klopp has recognised that the player would be better off elsewhere for the good of his career, but would this leave Liverpool a defender short with the English transfer window already shut?
Klavan would normally be Van Dijk’s designated backup on the left side of defence. The arrival of the Dutchman last January made it even more difficult for the 32-year-old to see where his regular game time would come from, as Van Dijk is clearly Liverpool’s best defender and one of the best in Europe, so will start games when he is available.
Good left-sided centre-backs, of which Klavan is one, can be a valuable commodity, and Liverpool will take this into account when considering offers for the player whose contract expires at the end of the season.
But without Klavan, who would step in?
Klavan has been one of three Liverpool centre-backs out through injury at the start of this season, and this led to a mini-crisis at the beginning of the new campaign, especially when the other option, Joe Gomez, also picked up a knock.
With Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip also unavailable, many thought that this crisis was so extreme that Klopp would be forced into starting reserve centre back Nat Phillips against West Ham in the opening game.
The manager has been effusive in his praise of Phillips, who has stepped in and stepped up during pre-season.
“Nat Phillips played an outstanding pre-season and now he played the game tonight, 70-80 minutes at Anfield for the first team," Klopp said after the pre-season game against Torino.
“It is really nice to see how he developed.”
But rather than throwing him straight into the mix in the Premier League, the 21-year-old didn’t even make the bench. Gomez recovered from his knock to perform impressively alongside Van Dijk even though they weren’t tested too much by Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
Gomez’s performance did indicate that he could be ready to player a bigger part in the middle of the back four, rather than at right back where he operated last season.
Van Dijk has recently spoken about how impressed he was with Gomez in the 4-0 win.
“I’ve played a couple of games pre-season with Joe at centre-back and I have a very good relationship with him, a very good understanding outside of the pitch as well,” he said.
The pace of the 21-year-old Englishman also allowed the team to play a higher line than they might with Klavan, Lovren or Matip, with sweeper-keeper Alisson also playing a part in this.
Klopp now has Trent Alexander-Arnold and a returning Nathaniel Clyne available on the right, so Gomez’s availability as a centre back will mean they now have five senior players in this position.
On top of this, Fabinho was used at centre back for a short period against Torino, and his inclusion on the bench against West Ham as the only option should one of Van Dijk or Gomez have had to come off, indicates that Klopp has some trust in him in that role.
Add to that his words on Phillips, who he could see as an option in cup games, and the club have seven options in the centre of defence.
This is more than enough, and seeing as Klavan would like to play more regularly as he approaches his mid-thirties, the club would have no qualms about letting him go for the good of his own career.
Lovren is also used to playing on the left side of defence, and could replace Klavan as Van Dijk’s backup, but the Croatian will no doubt be challenging Gomez and Matip for the right to partner him when he returns to fitness.
Liverpool are also interested in Burnley defender James Tarkowski, and he could sign for the club when the transfer window opens again in January.
Klavan’s potential departure may raise some alarm as fans worry that the club may no have enough cover in this area, but thanks to Gomez, the versatile Fabinho, and the emergence of Phillips, they can afford to let him leave and enjoy the first team football he desires, and deserves.
