Liverpool looking to Valdes?
Rumours abound over the last couple of weeks that Victor Valdes is about to secure a move to Liverpool in the coming months. The 32 year-old Spanish international who is currently recovering from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury sustained last March, is a free agent since being released by Barcelona this summer after his 14 year spell with the club. Should the claim come to fruition, it would represent a major coup for Brendan Rodgers.
It’s no secret that Rodgers is looking for a suitable back up for current ‘keeper Simon Mignolet after more than one or two less than convincing displays. Clearly the Liverpool boss feels some stiff competition would improve the former Sunderland man’s performances. A view shared by most Reds’ supporters. At 26 and with time on his side to improve, there’s little doubt the Belgian has a future at Liverpool but for now the challenge would do him no harm at all. Conversely, it’s likely Mignolet will improve as a result. It’s also clear that Valdes won’t be a long term solution.
That said, looking at Valdes’ stats, there’s every chance the No.1 jersey (or No. 22 in Mignolet’s case) could be there for the taking. It’s difficult to deny that his best days are likely behind him but even given that, his performances last season were still very impressive and compare more than favourably to Mignolet’s. For instance, Valdes made 26 starts in La Liga last season, keeping an impressive 13 clean sheets in the process. A 50% success rate in old money. Mignolet on the other hand, was less impressive keeping the opposition out on only 10 occasions out of 38 Premiership starts. A disappointing 26%. What kind of difference would it have made if Mignolet doubled the amount of clean sheets he kept last season? We can only wonder.
Like all statistics, they don’t mean anything without a sprinkle of some good old-fashioned reality. I don’t think many people would argue the fact that Liverpool didn’t exactly have the strongest of defences last season. A goal keeper’s performances are absolutely linked to the defenders employed to provide his protection. The occasional calamitous display from the Reds’ defence last season will go some way to explaining the deficit in Mignolet’s numbers compared to Valdes and one can’t discount that. Equally a player doesn’t become poor overnight and although Valdes may well be on the decline, he does without doubt, possess plenty to offer in terms of a back-up and perhaps an alternative to the current first choice.
Word is, the transfer could take place in October, subject to Valdes proving to Rodgers that his injury problem is completely cured. Should that happen the timing would be perfect for giving Mignolet a push heading into the crucial winter period. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that Valdes can recover and give Liverpool another option in the one position that the club currently has little or arguably no competition for.
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