Why Liverpool should do everything to keep Simon Mignolet at Anfield
As per Liverpool Echo, Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is looking to push for a departure before the transfer window closes on Friday. According to Echo, the Belgian is unsettled after Loris Karius completed a two-year loan deal to Turkish club Besiktas.
The German’s departure on loan should see Mignolet playing second fiddle to Alisson but the Belgian is unhappy that his loan request from earlier in the season was not granted (h/t Liverpool Echo).
This leaves Liverpool in a precarious situation as they have already loaned out Karius, the goalkeeper who showed promising signs last season but slipped down the pecking order following his dismal showings in the UEFA Champions League final and the pre-season friendlies.
Mignolet, who currently earns wages in the region of £60,000-a-week, joined Liverpool from Sunderland back in 2013 and made his official debut for the Reds in the same season. That seemed like the beginning of a lustrous career for the Belgian and he looked set to become a modern-day Anfield legend, managing a run of 53 Premier League starts until he was dropped in December 2014 due to a dip in his performances.
However, he rejuvenated his Liverpool career with some impressive clean sheets before he was ousted again by Loris Karius in 2016. Mignolet showed a lot of character to fight back and regained his place as the No.1, saving a club-record 8th penalty against Leicester City last year.
It has been a topsy-turvy tale for Liverpool’s goalkeepers so far. Both Karius and Mignolet were rotated throughout the course of the last term but neither of them was able to maintain the desired level of consistency.
Karius was often given the nod over Mignolet by Jurgen Klopp when it came to the Champions League. Karius made a total of 33 appearances for the Reds last season, including 13 in European competitions. Comparatively, Mignolet appeared just 22 times, including just 2 in the Champions League.
Coming back to the present, the current situation involving the goalkeepers does not present a bright picture at all. With Karius gone, Mignolet is the only experienced goalkeeper Liverpool have if Alisson gets injured. Considering the long and tedious schedule of the Premier League, the Brazilian will need rest at some point and Klopp will be left short of options if Mignolet leaves the club.
Liverpool have a couple of rookies in Caoimhin Kelleher and Kamil Grabara as their other options. However, Klopp cannot afford to deploy unknown faces, considering the weight of expectations from Liverpool this time. After all, the Merseysiders spent quite a bit in the transfer window and they must do well on all fronts.
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The shortage of goalkeeping options may prove to be a major roadblock in Liverpool’s challenge for the Premier League crown. Having said that, the Reds should do everything to keep Mignolet at Anfield this season. They should provide him with substantial game time in a few league games to keep him content as his departure could spell disaster for the club.
