Why Liverpool offloading Loris Karius would be a wise decision
As per The Athletic (h/t Liverpool Echo), German shot-stopper Loris Karius is set to return to Liverpool at the end of his two-season loan spell. The report also suggests that Turkish outfit Besiktas are not interested in signing him permanently as he has not impressed in his loan spell.
Karius, 26, who came through Stuttgart and Manchester City’s youth ranks, moved to Mainz initially on loan. He signed for the Bundesliga side permanently in 2012 and made 96 appearances for Die Nullfunfer.
The Reds snapped him up in the summer of 2016 after he enjoyed a successful time at Opel Arena. Despite making 49 appearances for Liverpool, he could not establish himself ahead of Simon Mignolet before the Belgian left. Even after getting his chances, he underperformed and that was evident from the Champions League final against Real Madrid two seasons back.
The German’s move to Besiktas hasn’t helped him much either. He has not been at his best, conceding 27 goals in 22 Super Lig games this season. He also conceded 6 goals in the last 16 rounds of the Turkish Cup, where Besiktas were eventually knocked out by second-tier club BB Erzurumspor. The report suggests that he was booed by their own supporters for his poor performance.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp’s side have been dominant in the Premier League and lead at the top of the table with 22 points. And the team is well-knit under the former Borussia Dortmund manager.
He has made a few changes to the side since their loss to La Liga giants Real Madrid in the Champions League final and since then, they have been one of the best teams in Europe. One of the most important moves Klopp made was to reinforce the goalkeeping department by bringing in Alisson Becker from AS Roma.
The Brazilian has been in exceptional form since his arrival in England and has already helped the side to European glory. Second-choice goalkeeper Adrian was at his best when Alisson was injured earlier in the season. The former West Ham man also helped them win the UEFA Super Cup after saving Tammy Abraham’s penalty and he has been impressive whenever he has got a chance.
Liverpool also have two other goalkeepers in their ranks in Caoimhin Kelleher and Andy Lonergan and keeping Karius would not make any sense. The German would most likely compete for being the third-choice, given Alisson and Adrian have cemented their spots firmly.
The 26-year-old has not improved since leaving Anfield and his form may not suit Liverpool, who would be aiming to continue their dominance in England’s top-flight.
Read more
- Why Liverpool signing Milot Rashica would be a sensible move
- Why Timo Werner would be a brilliant addition to Liverpool
- Why Liverpool should beat Madrid to the signing of Marcelo Brozovic
Verdict
Karius needs to revive his career and that may not be possible at Anfield. Klopp has enough goalkeepers and keeping the former Manchester City youth player would waste their resources. Hence, Liverpool should look to sell the 26-year-old in the summer and that would benefit both the club and the player.
