Liverpool and Manchester United signed Ragnar Klavan and Eric Bailly respectively in the summer transfer window.
Paul Merson
Former Arsenal attacker Paul Merson has suggested in The Daily Star that Eric Bailly is a better defender than Ragnar Klavan.
Manchester United signed Bailly from Spanish club Villarreal in the summer transfer window on a four-year contract with the option to extend for a further two years.
According to The Daily Mail, United had to pay Villarreal as much as £30 million as transfer fee in order to secure the services of the 22-year-old centre-back.
Manchester United’s Eric Bailly in action with Everton’s Romelu Lukaku
Liverpool signed Ragnar Klavan from Bundesliga club Augsburg in the summer transfer window on a long-term contract.
According to The Daily Mail, the Merseyside outfit had to pay Augsburg a transfer fee of £5m in order to secure the services of the 30-year-old Estonia international defender.
Former Arsenal attacker Merson has suggested that Bailly is better than Klavan.
“They brought Ragnar Klavan in to play at centre-back and he’s looked OK,” Merson wrote in The Daily Star.
“But he’s no Eric Bailly, is he? Bailly has looked like a proper centre-half since he’s come in at Manchester United.”
Ragnar Klavan (L) in action with Bertrand Traore
Below is the Opta Stats table that compares the performances of Bailly and Klavan so far this season:
| Passing Accuracy | Tackles Won | Interceptions Won | Ball Recovery | Headers Won | Outfielder Block | Effective Clearances | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Bailly | 95% | 6 | 9 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 270 |
| Ragnar Klavan | 91% | 3 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 180 |
United are second in the Premier League table at the moment with nine points from three matches. Liverpool are currently 10th in the standings with four points from three games.
Paul Merson
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