BREAKING NEWS: Birmingham City Incorporates More Defensive Strength…

The 2.Bundesliga team Darmstadt 98 has announced the signing of center-back Christoph Klarer to Birmingham City for an unknown sum.

As The Blues prepare for their season opening against Shrewsbury Town, the Austrian U21 International signs a three-year contract to become the team’s seventh summer addition.

The club’s new recruit had this to say while speaking with the media team: “I’m thrilled to be here. Though a lot has happened in the last few hours, I am eager to finish it.It’s a huge club, to be sure, and I became really enthused about the initiative the owners are attempting to implement here.
Christoph Klarer: who is he?
The 24-year-old center back began his under-23 career with SV Boheikmkirchen in Austria and later moved to AKA Rapid Wien to play with their U15 and U16 teams. He has played center defense for a number of clubs throughout his career.
He relocated to the UK in 2018 in order to train with the Southampton U18 and U23 squads.

Without playing for the Saints’ first squad, he joined Fortuna Dusseldorf in Germany in October 2020. He went on to participate in 80 games during his three-year stint, scoring five goals.

After that, he joined Darmstadt 98 of the Bundesliga, where he played for 30 games before they were demoted.

How did Christoph fare in the previous season?
The Austrian was the one constant in Darmstadt’s team selection during a season in which they won only three league games; he only missed four.

Six of the defender’s successful dribbles from the previous season were in the 70% percentile, demonstrating his comfort level when bringing the ball out the back. In the previous season, he was dribbled past a total of 12 times in the league and won 51.9% of his aerial duels.

A shift in the method of transfer?
The Blues have signed two players from the Eredvise, one from the Scottish Premiership, and one from Germany’s second division as far this summer.

Although there was some foreign recruitment during the previous season, it wasn’t as extensive as it has been thus far, particularly at this point in the window.

Alfie May’s EFL expertise is being added, and the Blues’ summer hiring is beginning to take form.