There is a long list of players who have been linked with a move to Anfield this summer and the latest player to have joined the list is ex-goalkeeper Pepe Reina. According to reports, Liverpool are lining up a shock bid for Reina and Jurgen Klopp seems quite keen to bring the goalkeeper back to Anfield. The move seems unnecessary as Liverpool have recently signed Loris Karius, a German goalkeeper from Mainz. Here is a brief background of Reina.
Pepe Reina was loaned out by Liverpool to Napoli at the beginning of the 2013-14 season for one year. Next season Liverpool sold him to Bayern Munich where he could manage only 3 appearances during the entire campaign. Very less game time forced the Spaniard to leave Bayern Munich and join Napoli at the end of the 2014-15 season. At Napoli, Reina became the first choice goalkeeper and made 37 appearances for the Serie A outfit last season. At Napoli, Reina had a very good season as the club’s last line of defense, giving some excellent performances. He kept 15 clean sheets an average of 0.78 goals per game, which is excellent.
Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet had a mixed season as he was inconsistent with his performances. Mignolet has been criticized for lacking conviction, while defending corners, which has been a problem for the last 3 seasons. But at times, Mignolet has shown that he is a pretty good shot stopper and can make excellent saves, but defending set pieces is his weakness and it has cost the team a lot. Recently, Liverpool have signed 22-year-old German goalkeeper Loris Karius as a replacement for Mignolet. Karius is excellent at defending set pieces, something at which Liverpool have struggled so far. Loris is the perfect replacement for Mignolet.
Loris might easily replace Mignolet as Liverpool’s goalkeeper. And in Mignolet, Liverpool have a good backup for Loris. Pepe Reina has been in exceptional form this season for Napoli, but Liverpool already have good goalkeepers at their side. Also, Reina’s dad has squashed any rumors suggesting that the form Liverpool man could make a comeback to Anfield. Having already signed Karius this summer, going for Reina seems to be a very illogical option for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp should not bring the ex-Liverpool man back to Liverpool as long as he has the services of Mignolet and Karius.