Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips believes Loris Karius should take up the back-up goalkeeper role ahead of Adrian next term.
Karius was the club’s first-choice shot-stopper during the second half of the 2017/18 campaign but his season ended on a sour note as he made a couple of goalkeeping blunders in the 3-1 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp’s side thereafter landed the signature of Alisson Becker from AS Roma and that contributed to Karius’ departure to Besiktas on a two-year loan deal, where he has experienced a mixed run of fortunes.
Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips said that he would personally recommend Karius for the deputy role behind Alisson, given he is ‘a better goalkeeper’ when compared to Adrian.
“I think he is probably a better second choice. Adrian has come in this season, had a couple of good performances and shown that he can do a job. But yes, he made a couple of mistakes before the break,” he told.
“I would say Karius is a better goalkeeper. I think Karius has shown that he is a good goalkeeper and I think Klopp would prefer him to be Alisson’s understudy next season.”
Adrian was a surprise signing for the Reds on a free transfer in August 2019 after long-serving goalkeeper Simon Mignolet made the move to Club Brugge on a permanent basis.
The former West Ham United man has had several good moments in the club’s shirt with the major highlight being the UEFA Super Cup success, where he saved Tammy Abraham’s penalty for Chelsea in the shoot-out win.
However, he has also had experiences to forget with his goalkeeping errors, partly contributing towards the club’s elimination from the FA Cup and Champions League last month.
As such, there is some frustration among the fans over his recent performances and it remains to be seen whether he is replaced with Karius on the bench next season.
Karius is currently in a dispute with Besiktas over unpaid wages over a period of six months and he could possibly terminate his contract before the end of the campaign.
Meanwhile, it is reported elsewhere that Karis could head to the Molineux stadium next season with Wolverhampton Wanderers having agreed to sign him on a season-long loan.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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