Comfortably Liverpool’s number one under Jürgen Klopp this season, Simon Mignolet might have to work extra hard if he wants to keep his spot next year.
Signing 22-year-old Loris Karius from Mainz, the Merseyside club clearly sent a message to their Belgian goalkeeper that there is renewed competition for the starting spot, and it won’t be as easy as the club look to progress on the season that has just ended.
Speaking to SportBild following his transfer, the young goalkeeper was excited to get started in his new club, and was asked whether he’d spoken to Jürgen Klopp about the competition with Mignolet.
He said: “No, because competition is simply part of this club, but I want to be number one, I want Liverpool to have success and play in Europe again very quickly. Those are my goals.”
Karius also admitted that a move to Liverpool didn’t necessarily mean he would be more in the spotlight for the national team, explaining he just needed to ‘cause a stir’ and ‘do his job very well at Liverpool’, with the hope that Löw would then pick up the phone and ring him.
As for his past with Manchester City (he was part of their youth academy between 2009-11), the youngster said it might help regarding the language barrier, but he would still need to adjust to adopt a tougher stance in the penalty area, ‘because in England, goalkeepers are not protected by the referees like in the Bundesliga’.
It seems Mr Karius has got it all figured out.
