Premier League runners-up Liverpool reportedly want to sign Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy as back up to Alisson Becker.
Sometimes the life of a goalkeeper can be a cruel one. Just ask Alex McCarthy.
A shot-stopper with undoubted talent and the potential, in the eyes of many, to be an established England international, McCarthy has managed to reach the ripe old age of 29 with less than 200 senior appearances under his belt.
Only twice in his long career has he made more than 30 appearances in a single league season. And after warming the bench during spells at QPR and Crystal Palace (in which he totalled a combined 10 Premier League games), he is now collecting splinters rather than shots in the Southampton dugout thanks to the rise of young Angus Gunn.
And with his 30th birthday just months away, McCarthy should be using the summer transfer window to engineer a move to a club where he will be a guaranteed number one during his peak years at the top level.
It’s fair to say joining Liverpool, then, wouldn’t help his chances of playing regular first-team football.
The Daily Star reports that Liverpool are keen to sign McCarthy as Simon Mignolet’s replacement. But the fact that the Belgian played just twice for Jurgen Klopp’s side in 2018/19 with Brazil number one Alisson Becker starring between the sticks tells you everything you need to know about the role McCarthy would play at Anfield.
He might never join a bigger club. But McCarthy must decide whether he is willing to sacrifice regular game time for the allure of silverware at a bonafide European giant.
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