Liverpool have been strongly linked to Alisson, but Mark Lawrenson would prefer they find a solution within the Premier League.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has struggled to settle on his first choice goalkeeper since he arrived at the club in 2015.
Loris Karius was signed in 2016 to try and usurp Simon Mignolet, but has struggled and only managed to get the nod this past month. Speculation is rife Liverpool will bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer, with Roma goalkeeper Alisson prominently linked, according to The Times.
Speaking to HITC Sport on behalf of www.FootballTips.com, former Liverpool player and pundit Mark Lawrenson has given his view on the situation.
Lawrenson believes Alisson would be a gamble, and would rather see Liverpool target a goalkeeper with Premier League experience instead.
He said: “I really don’t know where Liverpool are looking. Off the top of my head, I’m looking at Premier League standard goalkeepers as in they’ve got to be able to come for crosses and good with their feet.
“You also want somebody maybe that will come to a team like Liverpool where most of their games they dominate the match and the goalkeeper doesn’t have much to do and then all of a sudden they’re called upon to make an outstanding save and that is a completely different skill.
“I’ve heard Allison’s name mentioned but it’s just another gamble isn’t it that’s the thing.”
“I think Mignolet is the best of the three at Liverpool, as I’m so unconvinced by Karius.
“I know he’s young and relatively inexperienced but like in the Tottenham game when the first shot came in before Wanyama’s goal, he could’ve caught it but he decided to just parry it out in the middle of the goal and you think “who’s coaching him that technique?
“It’s a real difficult issue. At one stage last year, everybody would’ve taken Jack Butland or Fraser Forster but now we’re looking at most of them and they’re struggling to get in the team.
“Fraser Forster isn’t even in Southampton’s team at the moment. Jack Butland is still making good saves but he’s making mistakes every week and I don’t know what’s happened to Joe Hart and to be honest with you, Pickford at Everton is probably the best that they have, but he’s relatively young and unproven.”
So who should Liverpool target from within the Premier League?
Jack Butland is certainly one option, but Lawrenson remains unconvinced about him too and if he fails to dislodge an out of form Joe Hart from the England side then it will be a knock against the Stoke stopper.
Pickford can be discounted as he plays for rivals Everton and Forster is out of form too.
Bournemouth’s Asmir Begovic would be a smart option although he only signed for the Cherries this past summer.
Arsenal and Manchester City have high profile back-ups, David Ospina and Claudio Bravo, but whether they would be allowed to join Liverpool by their clubs is questionable.
One low key option could be Jonas Lossl, the Dane on loan at Huddersfield, who has impressed, but joining a huge club like Liverpool would be an entirely different proposition.
Liverpool have money to spend after selling Coutinho, and Alisson has been a revelation at Roma this season.
Paying big money for him would put him under huge scrutiny, but if they do not splash out then fans may be left disappointed by a lack of ambition.
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