A change is surely coming.
Loris Karius conceded three goals in Saturday’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid and two were very much of his own making. Simon Mignolet lost his place to the German earlier this season but few Reds fans believe he is a long-term solution.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Ray Clemence has said that the Reds should try and sign Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland as a potential replacement for Karius and Simon Mignolet next season.
Both players have made high profile mistakes for the club while Butland will most likely look to leave Stoke City this summer after the Potters were relegated to the Championship.
Clemence, who played 470 games for Liverpool and was capped 61 times by England, said that Butland’s desire to be the best goalkeeper in England and his thirst to learn would make him a great fit at Anfield.
“I know Simon Mignolet really well I keep in contact with him on Twitter and stuff and I feel sorry for him,” Clemence told the Liverpool Echo.
“I looked at the two keepers at the start of the year and thought ‘Simon Mignolet is a good shot stopper, he’s not great on crosses, not great on distribution and I’m not sure how he controls the back four, though it is more difficult now because you have different nationalities in front of you. ‘
“And then I looked at the German lad and I thought, ‘Good looking lad (laughter from audience) but I’m not sure what his strengths are.
“I didn’t look at him as a great shot stopper I didn’t look at him as someone who commanded his box. His distribution was probably better than Mignolet’s.”
“So, obviously Mignolet made mistakes, the other fella he came in, he made mistakes. And to be fair to Jurgen, he’s obviously decided, ‘He’s not for me and the other lad is going to have a chance at the end of the season.’
“Now to be fair, the last four weeks I’ve seen some improvement in him. I still think he doesn’t do right but he’s better than what he was.
“But then I’ve seen him against West Brom, and the number of bad decisions he made that could have cost the team.
“So I still think to be a team that has got a chance of winning the league title is that we need a top quality goalkeeper.
“I’d go with Jack Butland of Stoke. I’ve known Jack since he was 15. I’ve worked with him since he was 16.
“If ever I saw somebody who was focused on being the England goalkeeper, or being a top goalkeeper from a young age it was him.
“He’s one of these lovely people … when you are talking to people, it’s great when they look you in the eye and you know they are taking it in, and they want to learn from experienced people.
“From day one with Jack he looked me in the eye and said, ‘C’mon, feed me information. I want to get better. Give me more information.”
Butland said that his primary focus at present is on next month’s World Cup in Russia and that his club future is ultimately undecided at this point.
“I’m contracted to Stoke,” Butland told the Telegraph. “I’m really looking forward to this summer and the World Cup is the main part of that.
“What will be will be, I don’t have anything in the pipeline and there’s no focus on that at the minute.
“The most important thing for me is being part of a successful England squad and being as big a part of it as I can. That’s my only goal right now.”
