Liverpool signed Simon Mignolet from Sunderland for £9m in 2013 in what was a deal that promised a lot.
The Belgian had been imperious for The Black Cats the season before, and with current Liverpool number one Pepe Reina looking to be nearing the end of his time at Anfield, the then 25-year-old looked to be the perfect replacement.
The fans certainly thought this was the case, with many taking to Twitter to show their joy at the new signing, praising the club’s summer business.
This is what the fans had to say:
@LFC @leecollo Brilliant signing. Every team needs a quality Belgian, they're the future 🙂
— ILikeSport (@SportTalkSport) June 25, 2013
@LFC Great news!!
— Mark Summers (@marksummers24) 25 June 2013
@LFC welcome to LFC Simon #Mignolet. Well done LFC on great transfer business this summer.
— Richard Whitehurst (@RAWMktg) 25 June 2013
@LFC good business
— Umair Hasan (@uhg74) 25 June 2013
@LFC I Just hope hes as good as we all think..
— Mal Fraser (@Mal_Fraser) June 27, 2013
@LFC Good Sign, good Job ! #YNWA
— Young (@YoungVR) 25 June 2013
Five years on and the Belgian is still at the club, but fans do not look upon him as favourably as they did. His tenure has been one marked by inconsistency and errors that have cost The Reds at times.
Mignolet’s standard was so low that he eventually became the second choice keeper under Jürgen Klopp last season behind Loris Karius.
The German was not much better, and eventually cost Liverpool two goals in the Champions League final. The Reds rectified their deficiencies between the sticks by signing Alisson Becker in the summer. However, many Liverpool fans would argue that this should have been done years ago when it was clear that Mignolet was not the man for Liverpool.
