Breaking down the Ugurcan Caki transfer rumour

Liverpool have been linked with a January transfer window move for Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Caki. We break down the rumour here.

Newcastle United and West Ham have also been watching the stopper, say HITC, so there is some top flight competition for the player.

On face value, this deal doesn’t make too much sense. The Reds already have Adrian in the squad and Kamil Grabara out on loan getting Championship experience with Huddersfield, while Caoimhín Kelleher has impressed during his Carabao Cup appearances.

But, Liverpool are keen to sniff out a good deal. According to reports, the club have put in a £12.8 million bid for the goalkeeper. That represents a good deal, something they are always keen to explore and have done so in this window before.

Adrian won’t be around forever and is already 33-years-old and won’t be around forever, so Klopp may have half an eye on Ugurcan Caki as his successor for the medium term while Grabara and Kelleher continue their development away from Liverpool.

Caki is at the start of his career but there have been promising signs so far. He saves 75% of the shots he faces, while Adrian lets in 10% more – but he has kept more clean sheets as a percentage of appearances than the Turkish starlet.

The 23-year-old makes three saves on average per game. He’s made 54 from 18 appearances, while Adrian makes 1.6 per match. That would make the Trabzonspor starlet a good replacement for the Spaniard, while providing increased positional security.

But this is no a problem position for Liverpool, not anymore. Alisson is the clear incumbent and is well over his injury worries that ruined the start of the 2019/2020 season for the Brazilian, while Adrian is a worthy understudy.

Convincing a player at the start of his career to move to a place where he won’t play much is another challenge, and there are surely better options available to Klopp right now.