Monday Round Up – Liverpool Boss Ready To Talk With Simon Mignolet, £4.7m Signing To Start Against Swansea

The goalkeeper battle at Liverpool seems to be coming to an end as manager Jurgen Klopp has picked Loris Karius as the number one for the Reds. The German manager also revealed that he would be speaking to Simon Mignolet, as the Belgian was dropped from the team that defeated Hull City 5-1.

Karius was expected to be the new number one keeper for the Reds after his move from Mainz in the summer. But the 23-year-old suffered a broken hand in pre-season and Mignolet started in his place at the beginning of the season.

Klopp though addressed concerns and stated that he would be speaking with Mignolet about being dropped. The former Borussia Dortmund manager was quoted by the Liverpool Echo as saying:

“Like I said a few times, before the game there is only the decision. After the game if someone wants to talk about it we can talk about it, but before the game nothing else than the game.

“If he wants to talk we can talk, there’s no problem, but it will be not a problem because I know him. We cannot promise line up positions. We can only say we made decisions, use them.”

The manager has also stated that the £4.7 million signing from Mainz will start in the next Premier League game against Swansea. The new German goalkeeper expects a tough fight with Mignolet though and knows he needs to perform from the get-go.

“That competition with Simon is good,” Karius said to the Liverpool Echo. “Obviously we train really well because we know we have a strong opponent.

“I think it is positive for us and for the club that we know we have to be at our best to play otherwise there will be another strong keeper who is waiting.”

The end of the road for Simon Mignolet?

The goalkeeper department was one of the major worries for Liverpool fans for a number of years. While Simon Mignolet is a good shot-stopper, his ability to deal with crosses and decision making haven’t been the best in recent years.

The 28-year-old Belgian signed from Sunderland in 2013 and had a decent first season. His performances thereafter have been littered with mistakes and it is no shock that Klopp brought in one of the brightest German keepers in this transfer window.

Karius might not have been tested a lot in his first two games for Liverpool but he does seem to be a safer bet than the Belgian goalkeeper. This could be the end of Mignolet’s time at Liverpool as he would be in search of regular first team football which would be tough, especially this season as the Reds are not in any European competition.

Liverpool fans though would be delighted seeing Karius start the last two competitive games for the Reds and will hope the German can lead Liverpool to their first clean sheet of the Premier League season against Swansea in their next fixture.