According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are on the verge of making an offer for Barcelona’s goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

I doubt Barca will want to sell the player, who they believe can be a world-class goalkeeper in a few seasons time. I believe the German was bought as a long-term project and that view remains the same at the Camp Nou.

But I’m not overly surprised to hear that new Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp might be in a rush to bring in a new keeper to add stiff competition to current number one Simon Mignolet.

The Belgian goalkeeper has shown flashes to sublime goalkeeping especially with his shot-stopping at Anfield but his Liverpool career has also been blighted with mistakes and he lacks confidence when commanding his own penalty area.

Those negatives in Mignolet’s game often hampers his defenders as they seem to lack confidence in his all round ability.

Now maybe Klopp and Liverpool’s transfer committee could look at Ligue 1 and French champions PSG for their new keeper.

Salvatore Sirigu has won three Ligue 1 titles in a row with Les Rouge-et-Bleu and is the main back-up for Gianluigi Buffon in the Azzurri national squad.

Since joining the Parisian side in 2011, Sirigu has made minimal mistakes and has often received great praise for his work in between the sticks. In 2013, he managed to beat Bernard Lama’s clean-sheet PSG/Ligue 1 record and has become a firm fans favourite at the Parc des Princes.

But alas the twenty-eight year old has now lost his place to newcomer Kevin Trapp.

Trapp, like ter Stegen, is viewed as a player who has vast potential. At PSG you can afford to give a goalie time to settle as the squad are usually good enough to score more than the opposition.

To be fair to Kevin Trapp he has kept a fair number of clean-sheets this term. He kept a clean-sheet and also gave a man of the match performance in his sides 0-0 draw with Real Madrid in the Champions League. Another highlight for the German was his penalty save in PSG’s win in the Le Classique against Marseille.

But he had a horror show against Bordeaux in the league, that included scoring and own goal. In the return game against Real at the Bernabeu it was Trapp’s error that gifted the Spanish giants a 1-0 victory.

But even after those disappointing performances Trapp has remained Laurent Blanc’s number one. Many have question why a fine keeper in Sirigu has suddenly become just a back-up in Paris.

It looks like Blanc just doesn’t fancy Sirigu. Given the Italian hasn’t made many memorable mistakes during his time in France, in his only appearance in the league this season he kept a clean-sheet in an away win at Bastia.

You get the feeling that the two just might not get along.

Whatever the reason, Salvatore is close to his prime and cannot afford to let Blanc’s decision hamper his own career.

Euro 2016 is just around the corner and although Sirigu has remained in Antonio Conte’s recent Italian squads, he knows playing regular first team football would almost certainly cement his place in the pool that goes to France.

His shot-stopping, along with his concentration levels should make him a target for Liverpool. Chances are that you won’t get many top quality keepers currently playing understudy at their current clubs.

You’d have to imagine that Blanc won’t be difficult to deal with, if he doesn’t fancy the player. Supposedly PSG were willing to accept around €10m for the player last summer. If that is indeed the fee then he’d be a steal, in my opinion.

I have said for a year or so, that Liverpool needed a new goalkeeper and I think if they can sign Salvatore Sirigu this January then they’ll be a bug step closer to gaining a top four finish!

Posted on November 12th, 2015 by scott
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