Jamie Redknapp has hailed Liverpool’s signing of Ragnar Klavan this summer as Jurgen Klopp prepares for his first season in charge at the club.
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Leaving Liverpool will have been a hard decision for both players, with Ibe flirting with a regular starting role over the past 12 months and Smith only signing a long-term deal with the club in November.
Jordon Ibe and Brad Smith will be monitored closely by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, despite selling the pair to Bournemouth.
However, the Reds managed to negotiate buy-back clauses in both deals and Klopp hasn’t ruled out an Anfield return for either of the players if they happen to succeed on the south coast.
The Anfield faithful were upset at the departure of the two promising players as Jordan Ibe showed talent and potential to grow into an exciting footballer, while Brad Smith’s exit left Liverpool with a dearth of options in the left-back position. They had the possibility to do that (with Bournemouth) and they were deals that absolutely made sense for both sides. The German said that he was delighted to have been able to include the clause as part of their sale, expressing hope that they would grow into top footballers in the future.
“If a player is on loan it’s different”. It’s like going on holiday.
Klopp is subsequently keen to keep an eye of the progress of both players this season, adding he is particularly interested to see how they cope in an environment he believes will be more intense compared to a regular loan deal.
Fellow Socceroo and new teammate Adam Federici will also be hopeful of forcing his way into the Bournemouth first team, having been regularly used in goals throughout pre-season.
“Now Smith and Ibe are there and we have buy-back clauses”. That’s hard for these guys as they are always between clubs. “Hopefully, they will do really well and then in the end we will decide”.
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Glenn is ESPN FC’s Liverpool correspondent.
