Liverpool are on the hunt for a possible replacement for Simon Mignolet and they are recently linked with FC Koln goalkeeper Timo Horn. The goalkeeping woes continue for Mignolet as he was not at all impressive in the game against Newcastle. He has constantly been under the umbrella of criticism this season and is expected to be replaced by next season. Liverpool were already in talks with Andre Ter-Stegen from FC Barcelona and now they have started to consider other options as they make an approach for Horn.
Who Is Timo Horn?
Horn made his first team debut in the 2012-13 season and since then he has made close to 130 appearances for the German side FC Koln. The 22 year old keeper has made 32 starts for his team this season and has kept seven clean sheets. The under 21 German international was identified as a possible replacement for Mignolet in the clash against Augsburg. According to reports, Liverpool’s chief scout Dave Fallows was sent to keep a close watch on the goalkeeper. Liverpool have already been in talks with FC Koln for their left back Jonas Hector. The sporting director of FC Koln Jorg Schmadtke was asked about this transfer link-up and he denied it saying it’s all only in the papers. This is what he said, “What’s decisive for me is when I have something in writing from a club or when the agent calls me. Both things have not happened so far.”
Horn vs Mignolet
If we look at the statistics of both the goalkeepers for this season, Horn has an edge over Mignolet in certain departments. Both the shot-stoppers have featured in 32 games this season, and have conceded fairly the same number of goals. But, Horn takes a massive lead in terms of the number of saves made. Mignolet had a total of 43 saves against 78 of Horn and this has been the problem for Mignolet. He was known to be a good shot-stopper and this season he has not been up to the mark in terms of the saves. Also, a major weakness of Mignolet is in the way he distributes the ball and in this Horn beats him with an average distribution of 58m to Mignolet’s 38m. Horn is currently valued at £8mn and at this budget it should be a good buy for the Reds.
