Top 5 goalkeepers Liverpool should look at to replace Simon Mignolet

Liverpool is one of the best attacking teams in the Premier League this season. They have already scored 54 goals in their 24 games, a figure bettered only by the league leaders Manchester City.

Their attacker Mohamed Salah currently sits second in the top scorers' ranking with 18 goals behind Spurs striker Harry Kane, who has 21 goals to his name. Along with Salah, Roberto Firmino is also on fire in front of goal, scoring 10 goals already.

Liverpool has one of the most dangerous attacks in Europe even after selling their star Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for a club record fee of £108 million, that could raise up to £142 million.

They have defeated the mighty Manchester City recently using this ruthless attack. But their defense have let them down many times in the past. Even in the match against City, they nearly blew their 4-1 lead as City pulled back two goals in the dying minutes.

Liverpool's defence is very shaky this term and they simply let in many cheap goals. In their most recent effort to improve that poor defence, they brought in Virgil van Dijk from Southampton as the club's record signing, for £75 million.

Still Liverpool's defence is not good enough and one position they immediately need to improve is that of the goalkeeper. In Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius have two main goalkeeping options - and neither are convincing.

First-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who plays second fiddle to Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois in the Belgian national team, is currently on a very bad run of form. The goalkeeping errors Mignolet has made throughout the season are one of the major causes for Liverpool's poor defensive record.

A team like Liverpool need a quality man between the posts, who puts in consistent performances every week, if they seriously want to challenge for the Premier League title. So, it's time to discuss the best options the Reds should look at to replace Mignolet.

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#5 Jack Butland

Butland is too good for Stoke City, who are stuck in the relegation battle

Jack Butland has finally got over his injury problems and has been in fantastic form for the struggling Stoke City side. He has grown into one of the finest keepers in the Premier League and he is still only 24 years old, meaning he could have a long career for the Reds.

The 196cm tall English goalkeeper is arguably in the best form of his life, but his hard work may go to waste as Stoke is currently just one position above the relegation zone. Butland is far too good to be fighting relegation and may even have the potential to perform at Champions League level.

Jack Butland currently makes an average of 3.6 saves per game this season. Along with that, his long passing is very good, which would help the team initiate counter attacks.

His impressive performances in between the posts have recently earned him a call-up to England's national team recently. Butland is currently being linked with a move to Liverpool and it is still not too late sign him.

A move to Anfield will surely be attractive to him since he will have ambitions of playing in the Champions League to enhance his chances with the national team. He is in contract with Stoke City untill June of 2021 and if Liverpool want to have him, they will need to pay more than £40 million.

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#4 Kasper Schmeichel

Kasper Schmeichel was one of the major reasons for Leicester's success in the 2015/16 season

Son of former Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel, Kasper came into spotlight with his stellar performances during Leicester's title-winning campaign in the 2015/16 season.

The 30-year-old Danish international has proven many times that he can compete at the highest level. As with the case of Jack Butland, Kasper Schmeichel also appears to be too good for his current team, that is happy with mid-table finishes.

The 185cm tall shot-stopper is also very experienced in the Premier League, as he has made 124 appearances in the British top flight, whilst adding 31 appearances for his country. According to Squawka, he has also made 3.2 saves per game this season.

Schmeichel has wonderful reflexes and he is very good at saving long shots. He often comes off his line to make clearances and is impressive in that sweeper role. Additionally, his penalty saves in the Champions League last-16 win over Sevilla last season, ensured the Foxes progressed to the quarter finals.

Schmeichel's performances last season proved that he can handle the pressure of Champions League football with ease. The Dane's current market value is estimated at around €10 million.

#3 Sergio Rico

Sergio Rico is now one of the best young goalkeepers in spain.

When both of Sevilla’s goalkeepers were injured in 2014, Rico got the call-up by the Andalusians, thanks to the impressive performances he put in for Sevilla B team and made his La Liga debut on September 14th 2014.

Ever since that day Rico’s rise has been incredible. The 24-year-old Spaniard is a 195cm tall, slenderly built goalkeeper, who practices a calm, conservative and secure style of goalkeeping.

His composure and positioning sense is very impressive. Further strengths of Rico are his reflexes and reactions. While having his size is helpful, it would useless without the necessary reflexes to back it up and he most certainly has them.

Rico’s ability to make quick decisions and move across the goal help him make great saves, aswell as deal with crosses and corners. However, this season he has only made 1.6 saves per game, according to Squawka.

Nevertheless, if Rico puts some more time work into his passing, he could reach the heights of Neuer, De Gea and the other great goalkeepers in the world. Since 2014, he has made 102 appearances for Sevilla in all competitions and he has developed well during this time.

By signing Sergio Rico, Liverpool could get a young talented goalkeeper, who already has experience facing big oppositions in major tournaments. The Spaniard's market value is currently estimated at around €20 million.

#2 Oliver Baumann

Baumann is one of the best goalkeepers in Bundesliga

The 27-year-old German international had a stellar season with Hoffenheim last year. His club even qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, before going out to Liverpool in the Playoff-round.

Hoffenheim conceded just 37 goals in 34 matches, finishing with the second best defensive record in the league, bettered only by champions Bayern Munich. The 187cm tall Baumann's performances during last season were a key factor in this achievement.

The German has very good reflexes and is very impressive in saving short-range shots. According to Squawka, Baumann has made 33 saves in the Bundesliga this season, keeping six clean sheets in the process.

Baumann is now ready to represent big clubs in big tournaments and Liverpool should take advantage of being able to get a fine goalkeeper at a reasonable price. Baumann's current market value is estimated to be around €15 million.

#1 Alisson

Alisson is in excellent form for AS Roma this season.

Alisson officially completed his transfer to Italian Serie A side Roma in July 2016, from Brazilian club Internacional. According to Squawka, the Brazilian is averaging 2.71 saves per game and makes 3.56 saves per goal.

The numbers immediately stand out, as he’s making almost three times as many saves per goal as Mignolet (averaging 1.21). The 25-year-old is currently even keeping Ederson out of the no.1 spot at the Brazilian national team.

He possesses outstanding reflexes and shot-stopping ability. Additionally, he is very difficult to beat in one-on-one situations. He is also efficient with the ball at feet, meaning he’d probably suit Liverpool’s style of play.

Standing at 192cm, Alisson commands his area very well. He also seems more adept than the Reds current goalkeepers, when it comes to collecting crosses inside his penalty area, an ability which is invaluable in the English top flight.

So far, Alisson has represented Brazil's national team 22 times. Despite Ederson’s performances since moving to Manchester City in the summer, Alisson has stayed ahead of him in the pecking order for the Selecao.

The goalkeeper is heavily linked with Liverpool at the moment. he is a better goalkeeper than Mignolet and Karius and for a reported price tag of £44 million, especially considering the money Liverpool received from Barcelona for the transfer of Coutinho, his signing could solve Klopp's defensive problems for good.