Joe Hart and Jordan Pickford: Football Whispers identifies two Liverpool targets
Friday 17 April 2020 10:00, UK
When Liverpool signed Loris Karius in the summer, the Reds appeared to have solved the goalkeeping issue that had plagued them for some time.
But the 24-year-old German has failed to impress thus far at Anfield and, after Jurgen Klopp dropped the former Manchester City trainee for the 3-0 win at Middlesbrough last week, rumours are beginning to circulate that the Merseysiders could soon dip into the transfer market in search of a safer pair of hands.
With English goalkeepers Joe Hart and Jordan Pickford reportedly identified as targets, we've taken a look at whether they would represent significant upgrades on the faltering Karius and the much-maligned Simon Mignolet.
At 24, Karius is still young for a player in his position, and it would be foolish to write him off completely at this juncture. After all, David de Gea endured a similarly error-ridden start to life in the Premier League, but the Manchester United man is now widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
But if reports are to be believed, the Reds are weighing up their options ahead of the January transfer window and into the summer...
Joe Hart
Pep Guardiola's decision to offload Joe Hart this summer and replace him with Chilean Claudio Bravo has been roundly criticised. The Manchester City boss deemed the England keeper unsuited to his system, feeling that, though a competent shot stopper, he lacks the ability to contribute to play with the ball at his feet.
Hart was shipped off to Serie A, joining Torino on a season-long loan and has since put in some solid displays.
Liverpool were linked with a move for Hart in the summer and the IB Times reported recently that Liverpool have continued to monitor the 29-year-old, who they say could be available in the summer for less than £10m - although his expected wages could scupper any potential move to Anfield.
Hart has made a couple of high-profile errors since joining Torinio - including one on his debut - but his general performances have been good, receiving praise in the Italian media.
Indeed, many City fans have been wholly unimpressed with Bravo and would prefer to still have Hart guarding the net at the Etihad.
In his 1350 minutes of Serie A action this term, Hart has made 48 saves for an average of one stop every 28.1 minutes. Karius has played less football, with 990 minutes between the sticks, and has made significantly fewer saves, with 22 for an average of one every 45 minutes.
Hart has also made more clearances than Karius, with 52 compared to the German's 21, for an average of one every 25.9 minutes to the Liverpool man's one every 47.1 minutes.
This level of activity is possibly more reflective of the standing of their respective clubs, rather than their individual goalkeeping abilities, as Torino are ninth in Serie A with 27 goals conceded, while Liverpool are third in the Premier League and have shipped 20 goals.
Perhaps a better indicator of quality is that fact that Hart makes an average of 1.7 saves for every goal conceded, while Karius saves just 1.17 strikes before conceding. Hart also has a far superior success rate when coming to claim aerial balls, with a 91 percent accuracy to the former Mainz star's 75 percent.
Jordan Pickford
Also linked with Tottenham Hotspur, exciting young goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has earned rave reviews while playing for Sunderland this season.
The England U21 international has become the No 1 at the Stadium of Light after building his experience with a series of loan spells at lower division clubs.
Despite playing in a struggling team, Pickford has caught the eye with an array of outstanding reaction saves, leading to him becoming tipped as the future heir to Hart for the Three Lions.
Valued at around £20m, the youngster has made an incredible 72 saves in 1620 minutes of action this season, for an average of one every 22.5 minutes. He also has a 100 percent record when claiming aerial balls.
Furthermore, Pickford has by far the best saves-per-goal ratio of the three men, making an average of 2.17 stops for every concession.
