Loris Karius moved to Besiktas to escape the limelight.
Karius left Liverpool on a two-year loan deal in the summer after several errors for the Reds saw him come under increasing media pressure.
The Merseyside club ended up splashing out a then-record fee for a goalkeeper when they spent £66.9 million on Brazilian stopper Alisson Becker and Karius’ future at Anfield was immediately plunged into uncertainty.
Karius has claimed that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp attempted to keep hold of him but it’s widely agreed that the Reds felt a move to a lower-profile club would benefit the under-fire ‘keeper.
But Karius’ switch to Besiktas hasn’t exactly been seamless as he’s been at fault for a couple of goals and while every goalkeeper is capable of a mistake, Karius’ errors are always going to receive more attention because of his performance in May’s Champions League final.
The blunder-prone side of the German ‘keeper showed itself again before the international break, when Besiktas fell to a 2-0 defeat at Malmo in the Europa League.
https://twitter.com/TurkishHeader/status/1047941936190054400
Karius flapped at a deflected cross, which crept under the crossbar, and he suddenly found himself in the headlines again.
And the latest reports from Turkey claim that Besiktas manager Senol Gunes intends to drop Karius for their European game against Genk.
According to Fotomac, Gunes plans to start backup ‘keeper Tolga Zengin for the match as he is concerned about the pressure on Karius’ shoulders.
The 25-year-old had performed admirably for the most part prior to his Europa League error and there’s no doubting that he possesses the qualities to make it as a goalkeeper but it now seems to be a mission to protect him so that he can rebuild his confidence.
