Simon Mignolet doesn’t think he’ll sit on the bench at new club Liverpool.
Simon Mignolet is relishing the challenge of fighting for Liverpool’s goalkeeping position, he told Liverpool’s official website.
“I had competition back in Belgium with the local team, I had big competition at Sunderland where there was Craig Gordon, Keiren Westwood and other international goalkeepers and I had big competition with the Belgium national team. So that’s not going to change,” said the £9m signing from Sunderland.
Mignolet ended up winning these battles for the starting position, although he has fallen behind Thibaut Courtois in the Belgian national squad.
“I’ll just do my best to play every week. I’m not here to be sitting and resting. I’m here to come and progress, and play,” Mignolet added.
Mignolet’s comments come after continued speculation surrounding Pepe Reina’s Liverpool future since the Belgian’s arrival. It is unlikely that Reina will want to risk playing second-fiddle to an incoming goalkeeper in the run up to next summer’s World Cup.
It is equally unlikely however, that Liverpool would be prepared to spend £9m on a back-up goalkeeper.
Pepe Reina has been repeatedly linked to former club Barcelona, but club-captain Steven Gerrard told Sky Sports News that he expects the 30-year-old, who is closing on 400 Liverpool appearances, to fight for his place.
If Reina isn’t sold during this transfer window, it will be very interesting to see who starts in goal for Liverpool on the first day of the season at home to Stoke.
Regardless of who starts for the Reds, Simon Mignolet believes that Liverpool can push for the top-four.
“There’s big ambition around the club. I also noticed that from the conversations I had with the goalkeeping coach and the gaffer. I saw that they are very ambitious, want to get forward, winning trophies and getting into the top four,” said Mignolet, who made 101 appearances for Sunderland.
Mignolet joins Iago Aspas, Kolo Toure and Luis Alberto to arrive at Anfield this summer, and Brendan Rodgers is expected to bring in more players before the close of the transfer window.
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