Liverpool have made their third signing of the summer transfer window, after confirming a move for former West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian, who was a free agent following the expiry of his contract with the Hammers.
The Spaniard joins the Merseyside club after 17-year-old centre-back Sepp van den Berg, who joined the Reds from PEC Zwolle, and 16-year-old Harvey Elliott, who were the only other signings made by Liverpool.
Adrian will serve as a backup goalkeeper to Liverpool’s No. 1 Alisson, who played 51 times for the side last season, while his No. 2, Simon Mignolet, just played twice.
Liverpool confirmed that Mignolet had moved to Belgian club Club Brugge for £6.4 million.
Adrian played just five times last year for West Ham as he lost his spot to former Arsenal goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański in the Hammers starting XI.
The Spaniard left the London club after six seasons, where he racked up a total of 150 appearances. The 32-year-old goalkeeper will once again play a bit-part role in the 2019-20 season as Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp did not rotate the goalkeepers around last season.
Is Adrian a good replacement for Mignolet?
Adrian is a reliable and experienced goalkeeper, who has made nearly 300 appearances in club football in England and Spain combined.
The 6’3″ keeper is a solid shot-stopper who is good with his feet, and distributes the ball well from the back. He is quick to get off the line and make saves and blocks, while also capable of playing the ball along the floor and helping build attacks from the back.
In 125 appearances for West Ham in the Premier League, Adrian made 436 saves – an average of 3.5 saves a game in the Premier League, while he also averaged 25 passes per game for the Hammers.
The 32-year-old has loads of Premier League experience and can be trusted to take over the goalkeeping gloves if Alisson is injured or suspended.
Liverpool’s other goalkeeper, Loris Karius, is set to start his second and final year on loan at Beşiktaş, but Klopp may have lost trust in 26-year-old German goalkeeper after some high-profile errors, and opted to sign a safer option in Adrian, which could work out well for the Reds.
Adrian is certainly a good backup goalkeeper and would be a good replacement for Mignolet.