Speculation about the future of Liverpool loanee Pepe Reina continues to rumble on, but after months of wildly differing (and often contradictory) rumours, it's clear that Napoli want to keep him next season, and Reina has today provided another update in the ongoing saga.
When asked about his future, Reina admitted that he's 'proud' to be linked with Barcelona, but once again reiterated that he'll return to Liverpool in the summer. He told Spanish newspaper AS:
"My future is tied to Liverpool because I have two more years on my contract.
"I will then talk about the transfer to Naples, where I'm happy and where I'm playing a good season. I'll also talk to Liverpool"
After Napoli's 2-0 victory over Juventus in March, the club's owner Aurelio De Laurentis told reporters:
"I talked to Reina and told him that he must remain with us. I want him confirmed for next season. He was happy - for him it was a double reward."
De Laurentis's comments came in the same week that Reina was linked with a swap deal, which reportedly involves £15m Napoli duo Gokhan Inler and Valon Behrami coming to Anfield, with Reina being used as a €8m makeweight.
I can't see that happening, though. Benitez rates Reina, and given their history together, it seems likely that he'll want to keep him at Napoli. Indeed, last month, the Napoli boss raved:
"When you are in excellent physical condition as I think he is now, the excellence shown highlights to me him as one of the best goalkeepers in the world"
One thing is certain: Reina will definitely return to Anfield over the summer, and who knows what might happen then? Most fans seem to readily accept that the Spaniard's LFC career is over, but is that actually the case? Who's to say that Reina won't come back and fight for his place? He's probably casting an envious eye at Anfield right now, and if the Reds win the title, he'll probably want to be part of the club's Champions League charge next season.
In my view, Simon Mignolet has not done enough to make the no. 1 shirt his own, and Reina might feel he can wrestle a first team spot away from the Belgian. And let's be honest - if Reina had stayed this season, the Reds would probably still be challenging for the title. Mignolet has won the club a few points, but he's also made quite a few mistakes, which basically describes Reina to a tee.
Reina may be on big wages, but it will surely cost a lot more to bring in another top-quality goalkeeper, and with four competitions next season, Liverpool arguably need another top quality stopper. Rodgers recently hinted that there's no way back for Reina, but nothing is ever cut-and-dried in football.
In a press conference last month, Rodgers described Reina as a 'legend' at Liverpool, and I personally believe the Spaniard could - given the chance - knock Mignolet out of the first team. The Belgian is eminently expendable, and if he left the club, I doubt it would make that much difference.
Should Liverpool try and keep Reina, or is it time to move on?
Author: Jaimie K
When asked about his future, Reina admitted that he's 'proud' to be linked with Barcelona, but once again reiterated that he'll return to Liverpool in the summer. He told Spanish newspaper AS:
"My future is tied to Liverpool because I have two more years on my contract.
"I will then talk about the transfer to Naples, where I'm happy and where I'm playing a good season. I'll also talk to Liverpool"
After Napoli's 2-0 victory over Juventus in March, the club's owner Aurelio De Laurentis told reporters:
"I talked to Reina and told him that he must remain with us. I want him confirmed for next season. He was happy - for him it was a double reward."
De Laurentis's comments came in the same week that Reina was linked with a swap deal, which reportedly involves £15m Napoli duo Gokhan Inler and Valon Behrami coming to Anfield, with Reina being used as a €8m makeweight.
I can't see that happening, though. Benitez rates Reina, and given their history together, it seems likely that he'll want to keep him at Napoli. Indeed, last month, the Napoli boss raved:
"When you are in excellent physical condition as I think he is now, the excellence shown highlights to me him as one of the best goalkeepers in the world"
One thing is certain: Reina will definitely return to Anfield over the summer, and who knows what might happen then? Most fans seem to readily accept that the Spaniard's LFC career is over, but is that actually the case? Who's to say that Reina won't come back and fight for his place? He's probably casting an envious eye at Anfield right now, and if the Reds win the title, he'll probably want to be part of the club's Champions League charge next season.
In my view, Simon Mignolet has not done enough to make the no. 1 shirt his own, and Reina might feel he can wrestle a first team spot away from the Belgian. And let's be honest - if Reina had stayed this season, the Reds would probably still be challenging for the title. Mignolet has won the club a few points, but he's also made quite a few mistakes, which basically describes Reina to a tee.
Reina may be on big wages, but it will surely cost a lot more to bring in another top-quality goalkeeper, and with four competitions next season, Liverpool arguably need another top quality stopper. Rodgers recently hinted that there's no way back for Reina, but nothing is ever cut-and-dried in football.
In a press conference last month, Rodgers described Reina as a 'legend' at Liverpool, and I personally believe the Spaniard could - given the chance - knock Mignolet out of the first team. The Belgian is eminently expendable, and if he left the club, I doubt it would make that much difference.
Should Liverpool try and keep Reina, or is it time to move on?
survey solution
Author: Jaimie K
ooo...poll is close right now. I really don't know what to think... Pepe is a great servent and could easily start in the majority of europe. However, Liverpool has moved past it. If Rodgers can justify having both Mignolet and Reina, then so be it, but whatever happens I just hope Pepe is happy.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if he was un-interested or out of form but his last 12 months in an LFC shirt were not good enough - just like Torres. Lets all move on without eachother. The risk of squad disharmony outweights the benefits of a decent Reina adding to the squad IMO
ReplyDeleteI actually believe that without Mignolet we wouldn't be fighting for the title, people seem to easily forget the penalty saved on the opening match of the season which have been the catalyst of our great season.
ReplyDeleteSay what you want but i'm pretty sure a draw in that game would have seen us having an other season of mediocrity.
If Pepe is willing to take a wage cut and fight for his place,then yes,but if not,there is no way the club will pay 100 grand a week to sit on the bench. I think Johnson is going to find himself in the same position. The club are learning from past mistakes. I'd like to see both remain at the club,but to get paid in relation to their performance,rather than status.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree with you and it would show just how loyal to the club they really are. The wages players receive now is ridiculous.
ReplyDeletewhy use both euro and pounds ? 15m.pounds makeshift 8m.euro ? abit confusing.
ReplyDeleteExcept for the winter period (December and January) Mignolet has been pretty solid. The opening day heroics come to mind for everyone, but against Villa and United he some solid saves. In the game against spurs he had a brilliant save from a deflected shot which was heading into the corner. Against West ham he was authoritative during corners. Plus one has to realize that, this is probably in a long time that we've played musical chair with our backline and each one of them speaks different languages (Even though they know English it's hard to understand someone from different culture speak English, plus he still needs to learn scouse) . Next season he'll improve, I'm confident about that.
ReplyDeletePepe Reina batting his eyelashes towards Barca is the reason I don't want him near this team anymore. And to ditch Mignolet for him? NO. I'd rather we replaced Mignolet with a new keeper.
I don't see what the fuss is. Someone will pay the fee for Reina and he'll leave in the summer. It's not like quality keepers are easy to find at 8 million euros.
ReplyDeleteMignolet has not done enough. Blimey..
ReplyDelete"Mignolet has not done enough" Well I wonder how many times Pepe Reina cost LFC momentum when we were struggling for confidence?? That PK he saved against Stoke was the beginning of everything we are today(give me proof that was not the reason). Pepe Reina want's to come back because Barca don't want him anymore. He wrote a good by letter the last time I check.
ReplyDeleteI just get the feeling that BR and Reina won't be able to work together. So I think he'll move on but on purely footballing grounds I still prefer Pepe
ReplyDeleteTime to move on. SM is just a younger version of Reina. His reflexes are quicker. His vision is better. He's taller. He's lighter. You have already pointed out that they have both made mistakes, but I will continue to argue that many goals are the result of poor defending and not necessarily the GK's fault. SM is better than Reina...but that doesn't mean we still don't need a good #2 for next year. Do we even know how how good Brad Jones or Danny Ward are?
ReplyDeleteI thought Reina let himself get out of shape and become overweight...not very professional.
ReplyDelete100% correct about our poor defending. Would Petr Čech have only conceded 24 goals if he was playing behind our back for this season...
ReplyDeleteThere are two ways I judge goalkeepers:
ReplyDelete1. Do they let in goals they should have saved?
2. Do they make saves on shots that should have been goals?
I feel like most shots that become goals are usually at the fault of the defense and/or are typically not the fault of the goalkeeper. For instance, everyone from West Ham complains about the Flanagan penalty last weekend. No one is complaining about the poor defense or the excellent pass that set it up. Do I fault Adrian for that? No.
So getting back to Mignolet, I think about the two questions I posed above.
How many goals has he let in this year that he probably should have saved... I can think of one or two off the top of my head, but no others that I would call "egregious". Perhaps others could fill in the blanks on any I might have missed.
Now on to the second question: how many times has he bailed out the defense or made stops on balls heading to the back of the net? I think of arguably 5 to 7 over the course of the season.
All my point is, based on my memory, it seems like Mignolet has contributed to our success, as opposed to us winning in spite of him.
There are a further 3 areas I cthink are also important does he command his penalty area and give confidence to his defenders, does he deal with crosses and does he receive and distribute the ball well.
ReplyDeleteHow would you mark him on those?
Wish I was only as overweight and out of shape as he was but then I gave up waiting for the call from Liverpool .many many years ago.
ReplyDeleteSource: Squawka
ReplyDeleteSimon Mignolet
Average claim success: 96%
Distribution Success: 67%
Wojciech Szczesny
Average claim success: 96%
Distribution Success: 68%
Joe Hart
Average claim success: 92%
Distribution Success: 57%
Hugo Lloris
Average claim success: 94%
Distribution Success: 51%
Petr Cech
Average claim success: 95%
Distribution Success: 66%
Tim Howard
Average claim success: 92%
Distribution Success: 66%
David de Gea
Average claim success: 94%
Distribution Success: 62%
Pepe Reina for Napoli this season.
ReplyDeleteAverage claim success: 98%
Distribution Success: 67%
Struggle to see why anyone would want Reina back when Mignolet is younger and IMO better.
Its no good trying to bamboozle me with facts......:-)
ReplyDeleteYou asked about Mignolet's distribution and how he deals with crosses and the stats prove that he is top of the charts.
ReplyDeleteI was joking but as you mention them they actually "prove beyond all reasonable doubt" he is behind Pepe and not even as good as Szcz... etc
ReplyDeleteI think his command of his penalty area has been poor, quite frankly. That's evident in our set pieces, though I think we have improved over the course of the season. Not that it says much considering we were so poor early on.
ReplyDeleteHis dealing with crosses is ok. I think that he definitely could improve there drastically. There are times when he looks to hesitant to make a decision.
I do think he receives and distributes well, overall.
I understand your point of expanding the "grading", but I think that at the end of the day, a keeper is judged by the balls he lets in and the ones he keeps out.
Behind Pepe who is playing in the most boring league in the world :-) and not even as good as Szczesny. Like you said, you were joking...
ReplyDeleteIf there very little command in our back four then what is expected of our goalkeeper?
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, the goalkeeper's primary responsibility is to keep the ball out of the net.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that he's been poor in that area, but I think a summer of hard work can change that. That skill can be taught, but Mignolet's natural shot stopping ability and reflexes really can't be, and he's outstanding in that regard if you ask me. Remember that save on Benteke in the 2nd game of the season? That was incredible, and he's made plenty more since then. If he works hard on how he handles himself in the box and we strengthen our defense over the summer I think we'll be in excellent shape. Reina was fantastic for a long time, but in the last couple years his shot stopping was just not up to snuff, and Mignolet's has been, with the exception of a little wobble around Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI haven't got the stats to hand but Mings this season has basically sh!t all over Reina's last few seasons with us. Perhaps he has improved over there but maybe that is more due to him being woken up from his slumber. I think to assume we would still be in for the league if Reina had stayed is preposterous just simply based on his shot stopping in previous seasons (latter seasons as when Reina first came and for a good while he was world class). I might find the stats for this if I can be bothered.
ReplyDeleteOne thing sticks out is the idea that Reina is in excellent shape "NOW". Perhaps that was the problem and a Reina coming back in in really good fitness and hungry is only good for us. Mings has to work on certain parts of his game but recent displays have shown he has taken that seriously. He has been commanding his box better and his distribution (still not great) has improved.
Despite my criticism of Reina I still voted yes. I would be interested to see a vote on Mings though.
I watched that being Liverpool and remember Reina having a cheese toasties at home and I thought, hmmm that doesn't seem like the thing peak athletes should be eating late at night. Then went and heated up the breville.
ReplyDeleteI like Reina but its for the best he stay away. Last season his body language was terrible and he was constantly courting Barcelona for an offer. Technically there is no disputing that he is more comfortable with the ball than Mignolet but why risk the team chemistry when everyone is on a high.
ReplyDeleteKeep Pepe you can't buy a decent keeper for 8m..We need two good keepers
ReplyDeleteThere's no question that Reina has been a good servant to lfc, but his last few seasons haven't been great, some silly decisions and mistakes, he's having a good season at Napoli but is playing in an inferior league(imo). As for Mignolet, he has had a good season, yes he's a bit indecisive at times but nobody can take from him the fact that he has superior reflexes, speed and height over Reina. He can only get better with time where as for Reina as much as I like him, he's reached his peak and will soon be on the decline.
ReplyDeleteA strengthened defense and an ever improving Mignolet, will be a solid foundation of our beloved team next season.
Personally, i think Mignolet is the man for the job. Everyone makes mistakes, but i think he is getting better.
ReplyDeleteKeep Mignolet and give him another season, if there is still doubt, then look at someone esle.
Reina had his chance and in his last season wasn't interested.
I'm not so sure. Arsenal lost 3-1 to Villa at home, yet stormed to the top after that. Only their own unique issues has seen them crumble yet again.
ReplyDeleteI usually agree with a lot of your comments Jaimie but I have to disagree on this one. Reina clearly indicated that if Barca comes a knocking he's off. BR covered his back opting to go for young hungry keeper who wants to play for LFC. Mignolet has made mistakes but out weighed those mistakes with great performances. Reinas last few season performances have been very poor, anyone remember the Man City game? Mignolet has been a welcome change for me and has aided his team admirably in his first season.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteI think we'll sell him, it's just a question of when and how and for how much. Napoli want him, he's now their established keeper, and we let him go for a reason - he was angling for a move to Barcelona which we could not have resisted. I'm not sure there would be much benefit in taking him back, TBH I think he might unsettle the dressing room. Would he really be the kind of player to come back to Liverpool and fight for a spot against Mignolet, giving everything in training every week with no guarantee of starting? It seems clear that he'd be happy to stay at Napoli so let him stay. We can get some young, hungry keeper who wouldn't expect to play every week, isn't that the right formula? ;)
ReplyDeletewell you have to start watching another sport mate, cause in this one you have no clue...
ReplyDelete