Is a second Liverpool chance possible for Loris Karius?
After an ugly falling out with Besiktas which involved unpaid wages and complaints to FIFA, Loris Karius’ loan was prematurely cut. Now that the 26-year-old keeper is back with Liverpool, speculation is rising that he may get a second chance.
It has nearly been two years since Karius’ disaster in Kiev. The German followed that up with a blunder against Chesterfield in preseason and was sent on a two-year loan deal to Turkey.
Not much was heard from Karius during the loan, so let’s take a closer look and see if he really deserves a second chance with Liverpool.
Despite the infamous mistakes, thousands of Besiktas fans greeted the German with a warm welcome upon his arrival in Istanbul. Loris Karius would back up the excitement with a run of solid performances in his first month with the Black Eagles. However, after conceding a questionable goal straight from a cross against Malmo in the Europa League, the inconsistencies started piling up.
He had games where he put up man of the match performances and kept clean sheets, but also where he conceded as many as four goals and was booed by his fans. After a poor run in February-March 2019 where Karius conceded seven goals in three matches, the then Besiktas boss Senol Gunes had some harsh words for the German, as ESPN reported:
"“He was at fault for the goals he conceded… Karius has gone a bit stagnant, something is wrong with his electricity, motivation, enthusiasm for the game”."
Gunes even went on to say that he would’ve rather played Tolga Zengin, who wasn’t even registered in the first-team, over Liverpool’s loanee.
Yet, Karius managed to put together another solid stretch to end the 2018/19 campaign as Besiktas finished 3rd in the Super Lig. He ended the season with six clean sheets and 49 goals conceded in 35 games with 3.2 saves per game (70% save percentage).
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The following season did not get any better. Statistically, it doesn’t differ much from his first campaign; however, Besiktas have not been quite as successful.
The Black Eagles are currently 5th in the table, 9 points away from a potential Champions League spot. Now, this isn’t necessarily Karius’ fault, but he’s not doing to help Besiktas’ cause. In fact, fans were turning on the German Keeper before the COVID-19 break. Boos and chants of “go home” were starting to become more and more regular.
Things didn’t get any prettier for the German in Turkey as a dispute broke out between him and the club. Karius and his agent both filed a lawsuit and a complaint to FIFA against Besiktas for not paying his wages. Consequently, the two-year loan deal was terminated and now the 26-year-old keeper finds himself back in Liverpool.
Many, including Champions League hero Jerzy Dudek who still believes Loris Karius is “absolutely a great keeper”, think that this can open the door for a second chance under Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool’s current backup goalkeeper, Adrian, has struggled in his past couple of appearances, which has once again reignited talks about getting a new number two for Alisson. However, with all of the uncertainties brought by the COVID-19 outbreak, no one knows how the transfer market will operate.
Considering the circumstances, it would be a safe option to have Karius compete with Adrian for the backup job.
After all, Loris Karius never had true competition at the goalkeeper position at Besiktas so perhaps being around two other high-level keepers can help him regain his form. However, this position has plagued the Reds for many many years, so perhaps it’s time to properly invest in a long-term option this summer if possible.