For the last few years, Liverpool have been so troubled with the goalkeeping situation that they have decided to play it safe now. Shuffling between Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius before the arrival of Alisson, with both of them performing horribly, the Merseyside club have decided to splash out big cash for an extremely talented goalkeeper, just for him to be the backup to number one Alisson Becker.
According to Turkish news outlet Takvim, Liverpool are close to signing Ugurcan Cakır, 24-year old Trabzonspor goalkeeper who is considered to be one of the most gifted young shot-stoppers. According to former manager Sadi Tekelioglu, the goalkeeper has already informed that he has been contacted by the Anfield side and that his club would not refuse the £45m offer that Liverpool would place for him.
Last season Liverpool signed Adrian as a backup to Alisson and strangely for the Spaniard, he was often called into the side to stand between the sticks due to the injuries sustained by Alisson. Initially, it seemed that Adrian had it in him to be the second choice keeper of the European champions, but soon the scenario changed. He made some costly errors and started to perform inconsistently, much to the displeasure of Klopp.
Loris Karius, in the meantime, who had been shipped to Besiktas on loan, has terminated his contract over unpaid wages. That means he would return to the club and could be in contention for the number two spot behind Alisson. However, with Liverpool’s interest in Cakır, it remains no secret that Liverpool would look to ship away the German permanently.
The latest development would certainly not please Adrian either, who still has a year of his contract left with the club. The youngster would relegate Adrian to be the third choice keeper, something that the ex West Ham United man would feel he did not deserve.
All things said the move seems strange from the point of view of Liverpool. Admittedly, it gives competition to their number one keeper, but spending so much money on a second choice keeper, who would seldom get the chance to play for the club, seems a tad unnecessary.
Liverpool should undoubtedly have other priorities and look to sign the best of the talents of Europe, now that they have cemented their position in the league as well as Europe. However, prioritizing the goalkeeping position and shelling out so much cash on Cakır could also mean that they make him their only signing of the season, which would surely disappoint the fans.
Cakır, on his behalf, has to be patient if the deal gets through. It is apparent that he would have wait for his chance waiting on the sidelines, but the thing that the player must avoid is to allow this to get into his head and disturb the harmony of the team.
