Thursday 7 November 2019 13:35, UK
New Liverpool signing Ragnar Klavan has described his move to the Premier League as a "dream" in his first interview after joining the club.
The centre-back was announced as Liverpool's latest signing on Wednesday after making the move from Bundesliga club Augsburg for an undisclosed fee.
In an interview with LFCTV, the Estonia international spoke about his move to the English top flight and how former national team-mate and Premier League goalkeeper Mart Poom inspired his decision.
"I'm really honoured to be part of this amazing club and amazing team," he 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 part of this amazing club, Liverpool.
"What excites me is the history, how many trophies they have won and then the kind of names that have been here in Melwood and at Anfield. That I can be part of this - I can't describe it - it's something special and I'm privileged to be here.
"Mart Poom was the first Estonian to play in the Premier League and he was a big idol for me when I was growing up. I followed him wherever he went so that's one of the reasons, but the Premier League is the most attractive league in the world and there are always amazing players here. It is the home of football."
Klavan is no stranger to Anfield, having played there in the Europa League last season with Augsburg, and thinks the famous atmosphere makes the stadium an exciting place to play.
"In the beginning, you are more focused on the atmosphere and what's going on because it is a really good stadium and the fans are amazing," the defender said.
"At that time, we also had a lot of fans from Augsburg and this combined to make a really good atmosphere.
"I think it's more the feeling you get when you walk on the pitch. It's a compact stadium, but there is so much history in there and this is what excites me more.
"Nowadays, teams are in really new stadiums that looks good and everything is clean, but with Anfield, there is a lot of history in there. It's not the newest but it is the place to be."
The 30-year-old will be in competition for a regular starting place with Dejan Lovren and fellow new arrival Joel Matip, but Klavan insists he will be focused on the club rather than his own position.
"For me, the most important thing is the team effort and whatever needs to be done for the team," he added. "I've always been a team player and it will be the same until I retire.
"We will see but of course, if you come to this big, amazing club like Liverpool then there's a lot of players who are really good players.
"Matip is a good, young defender and at Schalke, he was a really important player for them and now that he's here, I'm really happy."
The Estonia captain is yet to train with his new team-mates, but with a two-week trip to the USA coming up, there is plenty of time for Klavan to get to know the Liverpool squad.
"I haven't trained yet so it's hard to say what we can achieve, but in the Premier League, there are many good teams and it's hard to say. I think it is also what makes the league so interesting for everybody," he said.
"I only know the team on paper and what happened last season. For me, I always see what kind of feeling you have in pre-season and even if you have really good players in the team, you also have to have the click with them and that everyone is working together.
"The training camps are almost 24/7 with everybody together for such a long period of time. It makes it easier to come into the team when you're always together, and you can talk with different people from the staff to the players and that's how it starts."
The only place to watch all of Liverpool FC's pre-season games is LFCTV: www.liverpoolfc.com/watch
