Should Rodgers be letting the Spaniard go.
It’s all change in goal at Liverpool this season as manager Brendan Rodgers has bought Sunderland No.1 Simon Mignolet for £9m and then let Jose Reina leave on-loan to Napoli.
This is big call from the boss, as although Reina might not have enjoyed his best campaign in 2012/13, the Spaniard has still been regarded as one of the best – if not the best – goalkeeper in the Premier League for several years.
Therefore it was something of a surprise when Rodgers let the 30-year-old leave for Italy, although as soon as Mignolet arrived it was always going to prove to be difficult to keep both men happy.
However, it’s still a gamble on the part of the Northern Irishman with the old cliche ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ springing to mind, with the seemingly unnecessary change between the sticks.
Since signing under former manager Rafael Benitez (now the Napoli boss) in 2006, Reina made an immediate impact at Anfield with some penalty shoot-out heroics in the FA Cup final of 2006.
From the first season the Spain international spent at the club the ‘keeper was considered first choice and in seven years the stopper has made 393 appearances for the Reds in all competitions.
Between Reina’s debut campaign on Merseyside and the end of the 2007/08 season, the Spaniard was awarded the Golden Glove for best ‘keeper three years running.
Last term the new signing in Naples kept 14 clean-sheets, whilst Mignolet managed 11 for the Black Cats – this is a gamble from Rodgers that could prove to haunt him.
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