15 Dec 2015

Talks Held: 'Fantastic' £10m star close to signing big Liverpool contract. Done deal in 2 weeks?

Last week, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp claimed that he's 'absolutely satisfied' with Liverpool's goalkeeper situation, but after another calamitous mistake on Sunday, it's clear that Klopp's blind faith in the allegedly 'fantastic' Simon Mignolet is extremely ill-advised. Mignolet needs to be replaced! Anyone of sound mind can see that, but if new reports are anything to go by, the club's faith in the Belgian is seemingly unbreakable.

According to Monday's edition of The Guardian:

"Mignolet is close to signing a new contract. Negotiations [will] be concluded before the end of the month [2 weeks from now] Talks have progressed swiftly and Liverpool are willing to revise his initial £60,000-a-week deal".

If Klopp's long-term plan is to gradually push Mignolet into the role of back-up goalkeeper, then a new contract makes sense.

However, if the German is misguided enough to make the same mistake as Brendan Rodgers, and keep Mignolet as his number-one (on massive wages), then it's his funeral.

Since the end of the 2013-14 season, I've repeatedly argued that Mignolet needs to be replaced; not challenged, replaced, by a goalkeeper who is capable of becoming Liverpool's permanent number-one.

Of course, as is usually case, in-denial fans refused to accept the obvious, and shouted me down for being 'negative' about Mignolet, but the proof is in the pudding.

Good periods of form are the *exception* in Mignolet's career, not the rule (close to 60 goals conceded for the last three seasons), and it's a fatal mistake to rely on him over a whole season. The Belgian will always make costly mistakes, and that's been proven multiple times yet again this season.

It was obvious that Mignolet should've been sh*tcanned during the summer of 2014, but Rodgers failed to act, and it cost Liverpool dearly during the first half of the 2014-15 season (and the latter stages of that season, when he conceded 20 goals in the final 11 games).

Mignolet - who cost Liverpool £10m - should've been dropped after his two comical errors against Bordeaux, but Klopp stuck with him, just as Rodgers did. And how did Mignolet replay that blind faith? With more costly, goal-producing errors.

In my view, Mignolet must be dropped for the next game. What is the point of having a back-up goalkeeper if he's not utilised when the first-choice makes errors?

Author: Jaimie K


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