Liverpool transfers: Potential Simon Mignolet replacements highlight flaws of Merseyside goalkeeper

The Reds No 1 signed a new deal earlier this week, but talk of replacing the Belgian hasn't ceased

(OULALA)

When Simon Mignolet put pen to paper on a new five-year contract at Liverpool on Monday, keeping the Belgian at Anfield until 2021, the news raised eyebrows. While fans took to social media to vent their frustration, Reds manager Jürgen Klopp voiced his support of the heavily criticised Belgian.

Twenty-four hours earlier, Manchester United's David de Gea had turned in a man-of-the-match performance against Liverpool as United won 1-0 at Anfield. During the post-match analysis, former Reds midfielder Graeme Souness heaped praise on the Spaniard.

Of De Gea's performance, the Sky Sports pundit said, "You don't win big trophies without a top goalkeeper." Adding further, "With a goalkeeper of that quality, you can win things by not being the best team."

The game was followed up by Arsenal's trip to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke City. Again, it was the goalkeepers that dominated the coverage as Peter Schmeichel, Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness discussed Jack Butland and Petr Cech after the game's 0-0 stalemate. The Arsenal keeper was awarded the man-of-the-match accolade, handed over by the also impressive Butland during the post-match interview.

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League, with the Czech instrumental in helping his side to a well-deserved point. Since his move from Chelsea in the summer, the 33-year-old has enjoyed an excellent campaign and in turn, has turned Arsene Wenger's side into strong title challengers this season.

Manchester United and Arsenal have shown that a top goalkeeper is vital in mounting a serious challenge for the league title. Despite Mignolet's new deal at Liverpool, and as some have commented, does Klopp have plans to bring in another keeper to challenge the Belgian for the first choice spot?

Simon Mignolet signs his new contract (instagram.com/liverpoolfc)

Daily fantasy football game www.oulala.com cover a host of Europe's top leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1, boasting an extensive database of statistics covering every player from each of the four leagues. The data collected by Oulala is sourced straight from Opta, making it the perfect tool to analyse and assess Europe's finest goalkeepers.

The Independent have teamed up with Oulala to present four keepers from each of the four leagues, who possess the ability to turn Liverpool from top four hopefuls into genuine league title contenders, should Klopp be searching for an alternative to Mignolet.

We've taken a look at Premier League shot stopper Jack Butland, Samir Handanović from Serie A side Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain's Alphonse Aréola who is currently on loan at La Liga side Villarreal and Anthony Lopes of Ligue 1 outfit Lyon, to see how they've compared to Liverpool's current number one. Check out the graphic above.

The stats show that of the five keepers, Mignolet has registered the fewest clean sheets, seven from 21 appearances. Whereas, Inter Milan's Handanovic boasts an impressive 12 clean sheets from 20 games.

Handanovic takes the plaudits for fewest goals conceded on a per game basis too. The Slovenian has conceded an average of 0.7 goals per game, compared to Mignolet's 1.2 per game.

Twenty-two-year-old Butland and Handanovic are each averaging 3.7 saves per game, compared to Mignolet's two. The Belgian currently holds the worst save to game ratio of the five keepers.

On a per goal conceded basis, Handanovic leads the pack once more. The 31-year-old has averaged 5.7 saves for every goal conceded. In contrast, Mignolet has managed an average of just 1.7 saves per goal.

Mignolet improves for successful catches per game, but only narrowly, ranking fourth of the five keepers. Anthony Lopes of Lyon has averaged 3.7 successful catches per game, putting the 25-year-old top of the pack aerially.

It doesn't improve for Mignolet when defensive errors are analysed. The Belgian has made a total of three this season. In comparison, Handanovic and 22-year-old Alphonse Aréola have made just one error each for their respective clubs this season.

As their key stats show, Butland, Handanovic, Aréola and Lopes are all enjoying excellent campaigns across Europe's top leagues and make for fine alternatives to Liverpool's current number one.

While Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City battle for this season's Premier League title, much owed to the excellent performances from Cech, De Gea and Joe Hart, it is apparent that despite his new contract, Mignolet's position as Liverpool's first choice keeper could be in danger if Klopp has aspirations of turning Liverpool into serious league title challengers.

Stats supplied by daily fantasy football game www.oulala.com

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