Liverpool have been strongly linked with a 10million move for Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, but is he really needed?
This question is entirely dependent on whether or not Pepe Reina is staying at Anfield. The Spanish goalkeeper has admitted it will be hard to turn down Barcelona but said he is committed to his Liverpool contract. Victor Valdes has said he wants to stay at Barcelona for the final year of his contract, which puts doubts as to whether they will make a move for Reina this summer.
It is unlikely that Reina will move to Barcelona this season but the Catalan club are surely going to come back next summer when Valdes has left.
If Reina stays then Mignolet will provide much needed competition for Reina. The Spanish shotstopper has not been at his best for the last couple of years in the Liverpool jersey and some would argue because he has had no competition for the spot since Jerzy Dudek left for Real Madrid in 2007.
Surely though 10million is too expensive for a back-up goalkeeper and if Liverpool bench Reina he will still be collecting 110,000-a-week, when Liverpool are trying to reduce the wage bill. Mignolet won’t want to go to a club where he won’t get games as he wants to be the Belgium number one at the 2014 World Cup, so surely sitting on the bench won’t increase his chances.
There is no denying Mignolet is a great goalkeeper after being named Sunderland’s player of the season and saving them from relegation, with point saving displays for the Black Cats. But he is to good a goalkeeper to sit on the bench and so is Reina. If Liverpool do sign Mignolet then that must surely mean that Reina is on his way out.
The Belgium shotstopper is a readymade replacement for Reina and his stats last season proved that, as overall he was considered the better goalkeeper last season. Mignolet is 24-years-old and has a very long career ahead of him while Pepe Reina is heading into his final years as a top class goalkeeper as he is 30-years-old now.
10million for a goalkeeper of Mignolets quality is a good deal but they should only fork out that kind of money if they are certain Pepe Reina is leaving. The stats between the goalkeepers show that Mignolet was the better of the two, even though his side were threatened with relegation.
|
Simon Mignolet |
|
Pepe Reina |
| 38 | Games started | 31 |
| 3420 | Minutes played | 2790 |
| 11 | Clean sheets | 14 |
| 54 | Goals conceded | 34 |
| 149 | Total saves | 73 |
| 73% | Ground 50-50s Won | 91% |
| 75% | Aerial 50-50s Won | 86% |
| 42% | Pass completion | 71% |
| 2 (2 goals) | Individual Errors | 6 (4 goals) |
| 96% | Claim Success | 89% |
One thing Liverpool are known with in recent years is having a goalkeeper good with his feet and starting off attacks which is what Reina was good at while this is not Mignolet’s strong point. But they will need to adapt to this like most teams do when they change goalkeeper.
The question ‘is Mignolet needed’ is entirely based on if Reina stays with us if so yes and if not then we don’t need him as it will be too costly for Liverpool. The Anfield club are not to stressed if Reina does leave as he is one of the high earners at the club, on 110,000-a-week, while he has not been at his best for a few years now. Simon Mignolet will be on a rumoured 45,000-a-week if he signs which is significantly lower than Reina. Maybe a new goalkeeper is what Liverpool need for a fresh start and a fresh, young team for next season.
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