Victor Valdes to Liverpool Transfer Rumour Fails to Keep Credibility
Sunday, 2 March 2014
The future of Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes will be the
subject of speculation until the Spain international finally ends it himself at
the conclusion of the season.
The experienced Camp Nou No. 1 is widely expected to leave
the La Liga champions in the summer and, according to Charles Perrin of the
Daily Express this week, Liverpool are leading the chase for his signature.
But this really isn't a move we foresee as happening.
Liverpool are currently being well-served by Simon Mignolet,
who is enjoying some excellent form in his first season since joining from
Sunderland last year. The Belgium international is still only 25, which
represents a tender age in goalkeeping terms, and his displays to date show he
could become No. 1 at Anfield for years to come.
Mignolet is still improving with the Reds, but the signs are
there that Liverpool have something good on their hands, akin to long-standing
goalkeepers of the club's past such as Bruce Grobbelaar and Ray Clemence. Such
figures were the backbone to the Reds' glory years.
Would Brendan Rodgers really want to upset that with the
capture of Valdes in the summer?
There is no doubt that every successful Premier League squad
needs two solid goalkeepers to maintain their challenges for silverware.
But as an experienced and successful stopper, Valdes would
not be a value-for-money capture with the wages he is set to command.
There would be no argument that Liverpool need a reliable
understudy to Mignolet, with Brad Jones failing to impress fully on his three
FA Cup appearances this season.
But after dispatching Pepe Reina on a season-long loan deal
to Napoli this year, it seems clear that Rodgers is not looking for a
high-earning back-up to be cooling his heels on the bench.
And then there is Valdes himself. Is the 32-year-old really
looking for a club where he will be playing second choice?
The Barcelona star has only been prevented from making his
name on the international stage by the talents of major names such as Iker
Casillas.
Undoubtedly, Valdes would have been a far bigger global name
if he had been born at a different time to the Real Madrid star, and his
experience of that disappointment is bound to ensure playing No. 2 to anyone is
not part of his thinking.
Believability meter: Very low
Liverpool are unlikely to be looking for a high-earning
second-choice goalkeeper to warm the bench with Mignolet playing well.
Valdes is no stranger to being No. 2 with his country, and
it is not a situation any player will enjoy.
At 32, the Barcelona goalkeeper still has plenty to offer,
but both Valdes and Liverpool will recognise that won't be from the bench.
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