16 May 2016

Transfer Agreed: Liverpool agree deal to sign 'excellent' €10m star. Klopp to sell 'brilliant' LFC mainstay?

Liverpool have been heavily linked with a whole host of goalkeepers over the last few months, and new reports today suggest that Jurgen Klopp has finally identified a replacement for 'brilliant' Reds 'stopper Simon Mignolet.

Over the weekend, German newspaper Die Welt reported:

"Liverpool are favourites to sign Mainz goalkeeper Loris Karius^, and Reds are willing to meet his €10m buyout clause".

According to Kicker magazine today:

"Liverpool have largely agreed a deal to sign Loris Karius, who will become the club's number one goalkeeper under former Mainz boss Jurgen Klopp".

If this story is true, then it's heartening to see that Klopp isn't making the same mistake as Brendan Rodgers, i.e. relying on Mignolet to be a strong, consistent presence in goal. That said, is Karius a significant upgrade on Mignolet? Primary stats for the last three seasons:

Goals Conceded

SM: 171 in 148 apps (One every 79 mins).

LK: 124 in 96 apps (One every 69 mins)

Clean Sheets

SM: 48 in 148 apps (32% of games/One every 281 mins)

LK: 32 in 96 apps (33% of games/One every 267 mins)

Save Success

SM: 383 saves (One every 35 mins). Saved 69% of shots on target.

LK: 340 saves (One every 28 mins). Saved 73% of shots on targe.

Claim/Punch Success

SM: Punches = 52% | Claims = 88%

LK: Punches = 48% | Claims = 98%

Stats: OPTA

Mignolet concedes less often than Karius, but the German keeps clean sheets on a slightly more regular basis. Karius^ also has marginally superior shot-stopping ability, but Mignolet trumps him on punch success.

Overall, the differences between the two are not (IMO) statistically significant enough, and when it comes to primary stats, Karius is clearly not a significant upgrade on Mignolet. In my view, Tim Horn remains the best option, and overall, he has the superior primary stats:

* Horn: Stats Last 3 Seasons: 135 goals conceded in 141 games (0.9 per game/1 every 94 minutes). 54 clean sheets (38% of games). 97% claims success. 47% punch success. 71% save success

Horn also has a lower buyout clause.


^ Described as 'excellent' by Mainz captain Julian Baumgartlinger

Author: Jaimie K


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