OPINION
Generally there’s not much room for compassion in football, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is someone who does exercise it when he can.
Just this past January he moved on Dominic Solanke, a player he genuinely liked, because he felt he had a better chance of progressing and playing regular football at Bournemouth.
Now, he must do the same thing. The Evening Standard reported on Tuesday that Premier League side Crystal Palace are eyeing a move for £8million-rated Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Liverpool need to do the right thing here and allow the Belgian to move on. The 31-year-old is stuck-in-the-mud at Anfield at the moment, banished to goalkeeping purgatory behind world class number one Alisson.
However, he is undoubtedly good enough to be a first choice ‘keeper for a number of top flight sides, certainly for Palace. Roy Hodgson chopped and changed his shot-stoppers last season, unable to decide between Wayne Hennessey and Vicente Guaita.
Mignolet has sat and played the good solider for a full campaign now, making just two appearances in domestic cup competitions. He didn’t play a second of Premier League or Champions League football last term.
Brighton & Hove Albion and clubs in Germany and France are also keeping an eye on the Belgian’s situation, so Liverpool can offload him abroad if they don’t want to sell him to a fellow top flight team.
The main point is, though, that Mignolet needs to play. He has bided his time and is good enough to feature for any number of quality teams. He’s not a washed up veteran at the end of his career, he’s someone who’s in his prime and can go and get regular football. Jurgen, set him free.
