Burnley are among a host of Premier League sides who would like to sign Simon Mignolet next summer. The Liverpool goalkeeper is expected to be replaced by a high profile name for the following season and getting demoted to the third choice behind Loris Karius is not ideal for him.
Mignolet has been at the harsh end of criticism from fans and pundits alike and has fallen out of favour with Jurgen Klopp. The manager has mostly rotated him and Karius around due to their general inconsistencies but the latter seems to be the primary choice now.
Other than goalkeeping issues, Liverpool also suffers from incompetence around the defensive backline. Their troubles have seen the side lose crucial points in the league and drop down to the 4th spot, 18 points behind leaders, Manchester City.
Klopp does not possess the talents of Mats Hummels and Neven Subotić to adjust to the fast-paced attacking gameplay he implements while at the same time maintain strict positioning at the back. The Premier League challenges every team rigorously and makes you pay every time you let it slip at the back. Such is the price you have to pay for playing in top-flight English football.
Virgil van Dijk’s £75m arrival has bolstered the team’s defence as evident from Liverpool impressive form in recent weeks. However, it would be foolish to think that he alone will be able to carry the team on his shoulders for an entire season. Even players like Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Vincent Kompany could not do that with their respective teams. They were central heads in the team’s defence but was only able to earn major honours due to performances of the entire unit.
Mignolet is the Belgian number two behind Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois and has over 200 appearances for the Reds, over a 100 for Sunderland. His experience in top-flight English football is significant and can come in handy for one of the existing sides.
The pressures of the job are always overwhelming for a professional playing for a title-challenging side like Liverpool. It would do Mignolet with a fresh start in his career and a boost of competence from a new manager.
However, do Burnley really need him? The Clarets already have Nick Pope who has been one of the highlighting factors of their impressive campaign.
Sean Dyche is anticipating the return of his captain, Tom Heaton and it will be hard to keep Pope happy as a second option.
The entire defensive backline has been the backbone of Burnley’s success this season and Pope has been at the heart of it all. If he does quit the Turf Moor based side next summer, Mignolet can be a prime replacement.