Loris Karius leaves Liverpool to banish a nightmare – his presence galvanised opponents

Finally, in a move that is best for all concerned, Loris Karius is to be put out of his Liverpool misery. A tumultuous two years is will be consigned to the past.

A two-year loan deal to Besiktas, with an option for permanent terms in 2020, is close to being sealed. A fresh start is unquestionably what is needed for a man who is waiting for time to have its way and ease the memories of a nightmare.

History could, and very possibly will, remember him as one of the most mocked goalkeepers of the Premier League era. Should he make his debut on Sunday in the Turkish Super Lig match against Antalyaspor, there will be a lot more than the average number of intrigued onlookers. This is what Karius deals with now and must work to banish.

Loris Karius is on the brink of completing a two-year move to Besiktas from Liverpool

Karius made two glaring errors as Liverpool lost the Champions League final 3-1 in May

Karius made two glaring errors as Liverpool lost the Champions League final 3-1 in May

His mistakes led to goals for Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale in the final

His mistakes led to goals for Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale in the final

Was it always meant to end like this at Liverpool? In truth, the writing seemed to be on the wall long before the Champions League final, even when he had dislodged Simon Mignolet for the second time to become first-choice between the sticks.

Alisson was being linked to Liverpool as far back as April. There was a feeling that the best outcome for Karius would be a similar one to Jerzy Dudek in 2005, who produced a Champions League final winning performance before losing his place to incoming Pepe Reina.

Two years ago, it was very different. When he arrived in May 2016, there was huge intrigue around the then 22-year-old. 

One of the first moves Klopp did as Liverpool manager that fell under scrutiny was to hand a stuttering Mignolet a new five-year deal in January of that year. Yet four months later, a new kid was in town to challenge for the gloves.

Karius looked the part; suave, oozing self-belief and could speak English fluently. He took the No 1 shirt and made no attempt to hide the fact he wanted to replace Mignolet.

‘I wouldn’t make the move otherwise if I thought I was just going to sit on the bench,’ he said. All Premier League footballers need an arrogance to them. Karius excited Liverpool fans with his words.

His settling in was hampered by a broken hand in a friendly against Chelsea but he eventually made his debut in September. His first-team run lasted only two months.

Opposition teams sensed blood with Karius. His presence encouraged them. An uninspiring run of displays – infamously, he kicked a goal-kick out for a corner against Sunderland in September – culminated in a clanger against Bournemouth that November.

He fumbled a timid shot from range by Steve Cook and Nathan Ake scored the rebound as the Cherries turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 victory. Cook admitted afterwards they targeted Karius because he was the ‘weak link’.

Karius' initial run in Liverpool's first-team ended after a 2-2 draw against West Ham in 2016

Karius’ initial run in Liverpool’s first-team ended after a 2-2 draw against West Ham in 2016

A Tranmere player told Karius he was 'f****** s***' after an error in a pre-season friendly

A Tranmere player told Karius he was ‘f****** s***’ after an error in a pre-season friendly

The next week, he failed to keep out a tame Dimitri Payet free-kick in a 2-2 draw with West Ham and was promptly switched with Mignolet. He didn’t play a league game again that season but Klopp would soon give him another chance.

Karius was installed as Liverpool’s Champions League goalkeeper for 2017-18 and was occasionally, curiously, rotated with Mignolet for league games. After a 3-3 draw at Arsenal, Klopp brought Karius back in for the Premier League tie with Burnley, explaining that the No 1 spot was his ‘if he is able to perform.’

Liverpool’s backline unquestionably looked better but quite how much of that was to do with Karius was debatable – Virgil van Dijk’s arrival from Southampton was much more of a contributing factor.

While he had clearly improved, there were still underlying moments when he looked vulnerable. Leroy Sane beat him easily at his near post in Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Manchester City while even when Liverpool won and he kept a clean sheet, his footwork and distribution never suggested he was truly comfortable with how Klopp wanted his goalkeepers to play out from the back.

Concussed or not, his Champions League final errors are something Karius is having to learn to live with. The knock to the head after colliding with Sergio Ramos may well have had a serious impact but those awful mistakes were sadly not out of character.

Alisson’s availability at Roma was understandably far too enticing for Klopp, especially when Karius continued to struggle in pre-season.

After spilling a free-kick against Tranmere and the rebound being scored, opponent Ben Tollitt appeared to shout ‘you’re f******s***’ at him as his team-mates celebrated.

On the pitch, Karius cut a haunted figure and clearly needed time out of the spotlight to regroup. But off it, he still seemed as supremely confident as ever. 

Karius posted an odd video of him training in LA this summer - he was criticised for it 

Karius posted an odd video of him training in LA this summer – he was criticised for it 

Karius never shied away from the pressure and fronted up in a Sportsmail interview in 2016

Karius never shied away from the pressure and fronted up in a Sportsmail interview in 2016

He posted a strangely edited video of himself training in Los Angeles, running through Beverley Hills with the Hollywood sign in the background and diving, slow-motion, into a swimming pool. 

It was naive of Karius to share it. Nobody thought he should be in hiding, unable to enjoy any aspect of his life after the Champions League final but in the unforgiving world of social media, it was bound to attract intense criticism. He would have been better off not posting it.

Karius, to his credit, never shied away when the going got tough – it seldom was anything else for him at Liverpool. He fronted up and answered his critics after his first error-strewn run in the Premier League in an interview with Sportsmail. 

That resilience will serve him well. He showed signs of being a very capable shot-stopper at Liverpool and in Turkey he will have a chance to demonstrate the attributes that first attracted Klopp’s interest.

But he will also touch down in Istanbul well aware of the fact that whatever life has in store for him on the pitch, his hardest times are surely now behind him.



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