According to various reports Alex McCarthy is wanted by Liverpool, but has this any substance or is it just agents or even Saints trying to drum up interest.

Most Saints fans would probably consider Alex McCarthy to be the second choice keeper at St Mary's ahead of Fraser Forster, but the problem is that with three Premier League proven keepers on their books Saints need to get rid of one of them.

The problem is that Fraser Forster is virtually unsellable given the term remaining on his contract and the wages he is on at the club and he cannot be blamed for not wanting to take what would be a massive pay cut to leave.

This being the case then Saints will look to move on Alex McCarthy whilst his stock is high.

McCarthy's tenure as undisputed first choice goalkeeper at St Mary's lasted barely a year, in fairness in his first few months and for most of the first half of the season just gone, he was not a lot better than Fraser Forster, the team still shipped goals and was in disarray.

But for 5 games at the end of 2017/18 he was magnificent and played a big part in keeping Saints in the Premier League, the problem is he reached heights that he hadn't showed before or indeed since, so at 29 Saints realise that he is an asset they can cash in on and still have a decent back up for Angus Gunn in the person of Fraser Forster.

But do the links to Liverpool have any substance or is it his agent or indeed perhaps Saints themselves trying to generate interest, do not underestimate the power of linking a player with a big club to boost interest in him, remember when Nicola Cortese snapped up Vegard Forren back in 2013 based on the fact that he was training with Liverpool, which turned out to be a favour for his agent and the Merseyside club had no intention of signing him.

Certainly Liverpool have no need for a first team keeper, Alisson was signed for big money last summer and they also have Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius still on the books, although the latter spent last season on loan at Besiktas.

So Liverpool themselves have to offload a keeper or two before they sign another shot stopper.

So this points at nothing more than rumour, indeed a year ago McCarthy was linked with Liverpool and I felt that back then that this could be leaked by Saints themselves who knowing that they would not be able to shift Forster and about to buy Angus Gunn were looking to move on McCarthy.

I always felt that those at the club saw McCarthy's heroics as something he would be unlikely to repeat and therefore were placing their faith in Gunn going forward, to be blunt a club or our size doesn't spend £12 million on a keeper to sit on the bench.

McCarthy was never on Liverpool's radar a year ago, they were never going to sign a first choice keeper who at 28 had barely played 150 first team games and most of them outside of the Premier League, they set their sights on expensive proven talent in Alisson at nearly £70 million.

So I don't think that 12 months later this has any real substance.

Photo: Action Images

underweststand added 15:26 - Jun 19 One of them has to go, and McCarthy is a better bet for a number of reasons, not least finding a club who would be willing to meet Forster's salary demands. Alex has enough experience to sit on the bench for a Top 6 side ....and DAJF them in an emergency. Don't expect to see a large fee from any move, because any potential buyer will have to meet his current salary levels, too. In time Forster may recover the confidence / form he showed at his best when he kept a clean sheet for 6 games and made a few "worldies " against top sides. Meantime - if FF stays(?).. we will have cover until his contract runs out and allow a few more years for U23 keepers Jack Rose and Harry Lewis to improve themselves. Quite honestly ..goalkeepers is not an area I'm feel concerned about ... but more about a dependable line-up in front of them.

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SaintBrock added 13:41 - Jun 20 Your logic is sound enough Nick and has an uneasy truth about it. What a calamity it could prove to be if we let him go and Gunn suffers serious injury early in the season. Imagine Forster as first choice for a few months :-(
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LoisDeem added 18:24 - Jun 20 I tend to switch off when I see that 'skarsgit' (to quote Alf Garnett) connection, and trust it's fake news or another far king liberty and our board have learned nothing! Surely by now, technology would have provided us with a teleporter to convey our soiled goods to Beatle land.
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