Finding a Simon Mignolet solution is going to be tricky

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet deserves to leave the club in the summer in search of first team football, but that’ll be tricky.

As back-up stoppers go, Mignolet should be considered one of the best. The Belgian international is well experienced with 245 Premier League games under his belt, 409 career appearances for the Reds, Sunderland and Sint-Truidense VV as well as 22 games for his nation.

Players like that don’t come around very often, and there is no doubt that he’ll make one set of fans very happy. But it just won’t be Liverpool.

Migs has had to adapt to life as a bench warmer this season, and it appears as if he’s doing it well. There have been no grumbles from the former starter about his treatment, but you can’t imagine he wants to stick around for next season.

More from Rush The Kop

• Set to return, Virgil Van Dijk facing heavy criticism back home
• Liverpool making late comebacks all the rage once again
• Wolves tilt gives Klopp opportunity to tinker with lineup following international duty
• Players to watch in the matchup with Wolves
• Predicting Liverpool’s Next Five Premier League Fixtures

And we’ve seen that Jurgen Klopp doesn’t like to have an unhappy squad. There are loads of managers who would have kept Nathaniel Clyne, despite his lack of game time – but not Klopp.

Clyne got an offer from Bournemouth and Liverpool accepted. The squad has been weakened at a time of mini-crisis, but that decision says volumes about the heirarchy and what sort of blokes they are.

But here is the rub: if Mignolet leaves Anfield next summer, the Reds are going to have to sign someone to come in. And they won’t want to spend money on a dud, because he might be needed if Alisson Becker gets injured.

So the fine line will need to be tread between signing a goalkeeper who knows he’s just going to be a reserve, versus the quality of the type of player who’s willing to play that role, versus the cost of signing someone who won’t play.

It’s a difficult decision to get right and Liverpool may turn to the Academy, but that comes with it’s own risks. In the end, Mignolet may end up being too good to let leave but not good enough to play.