I’m going to start this off with a bit of a disclaimer. I am a Liverpool FC supporter. They are one of the few clubs these days that invoke true emotions on matchday for me. With that being said, last year was a mixed bag of those emotions. A return to Champions League competition is a huge step forward. However, the Reds inconsistency against the lesser clubs in England made steam come out of my ears like a cartoon from the 1960’s. Jurgen Klopp has made subtle changes during his tenure to date, but more are surely on the way this summer. The defence needs fortifying. The strike force needs sorting. Most of all though, Liverpool need a true #1 keeper between the sticks at Anfield. They must beat their Merseyside rivals, Everton, for the signature of England #1 Joe Hart.
At the moment, Hart has faded from Klopp’s transfer radar. Manchester City’s £20m price tag is steep and the Normal One has stated his contentedness with Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius in goal. But the status quo cannot stand if the Reds want to compete in Europe and domestically next season.
Sure, Mignolet and Karius had their moments over the 2016-17 campaign. Each’s presence kept the other on their toes each time they exited the tunnel. But neither truly took a strong grasp of the role in the end. Karius was brought in from Mainz to be the heir apparent as a true Klopp guy but never cemented himself in the role. He played just 16 games across all competitions. Only 10 of those appearances came in the Premier League. He conceded 12 goals in those 10 contests. Mignolet was the better of the two by a wide margin. His penalty saves rescued points for the Reds on several occasions. Nevertheless, the Belgian’s inconsistency in games against lesser opponents made Liverpool’s defensive woes look even worse. Sunderland, Swansea, Hull, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, and Leicester were all able to make Liverpool’s keeper look foolish while in the lower half of the table.
Joe Hart would not be the end all be all if he joined Liverpool. Hell, he may even struggle to readjust to English football after his season in the Serie A with Torino. But one thing that Joe Hart would bring to Liverpool is legitimacy. Karius and Mignolet are fringe members of their respective countries’ national teams, but neither is a regular contributor. Joe Hart is England’s undisputed #1, regardless of the saga with City and his exile by Pep Guardiola. Getting a player of Hart’s calibre would bring legitimacy to the position they’ve lacked for years now. It is a move that needs to happen by the start of the 2017-18 season.
Liverpool will need to act fast though if they are going to make the move. Everton, the oddsmakers’ favourite at the moment to land him, soured on Joel Robles and Maarten Stekelenburg last year behind a porous back line. Manchester United may lose David de Gea, putting their hat into the fold. Leicester City may so as well if Kasper Schmeichel is pegged as de Gea’s replacement at Old Trafford.
2016-17 should be the start of a Liverpool revival, not a one-off return to Europe. For that to be the case, ownership needs to loosen the purse strings. But it isn’t just about increasing funds, it is about taking risks and keeping useful players out of the clutches of your direct competition. Joe Hart to Liverpool is a risky proposition, but one where the good vastly outweighs the bad. If they can land him, it will only further help the recruitment of better players going forward. Complacency is a death knell in English football. Liverpool must make Joe Hart see their shade of red or complacency could bring them back into the middle of the table, a place where a club with their history does not belong.