Four realistic replacement options for Mignolet at Liverpool
By Tom Bogert
Jack Butland/Stoke City/22-years-old
This is the guy Liverpool should sign this summer. He may command in the neighborhood of £20million, but that’d be money well spent.
It’s easiest to draw comparisons from Mignolet to Butland as they play in the same league and (unfortunately) the two teams are sharing similar upper mid table fates this season. Sigh.
Anyway. Butland has nearly doubled Mignolet’s save total while having more clean sheets.
Two seasons ago, Butland started for Stoke against Liverpool when Asmir Begovic was unavailable to play. Liverpool, famously, won that match, scoring 5 goals. It was the best I’ve ever seen a goalie play in a match in which he conceded five goals. That’s how great Suarez and Sturridge were that year.
But, since that match, I’ve believed the Butland hype. His form this season has been sparkling and he’s not far off from displacing Joe Hart as England’s no. 1 goalie.
At any rate, Liverpool need a new goalie. And not just any new goalie: one that will improve the team and grow with the team.