Loris Karius joins Newcastle United, an emergency panic buy or a chance at redemption?
Newcastle United have announced the signing of former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius via Twitter. The German shot stopper's contract with the Reds ended in June.
✍️ #NUFC are pleased to announce the signing of Loris Karius on a short-term contract.
Welcome to Newcastle United, @LorisKarius! ⚫️⚪️
One event that comes to mind when someone says Loris Karius is the 2018 Champions League final. Karius made two big mistakes in that match.
Liverpool played Real Madrid and the Reds lost 3-1 in Kyiv. Karius' first mistake came when Los Blancos forward Karim Benzema blocked his throw and had an open goal to score.
The second mistake saw him fumble a shot from Gareth Bale which he took from about 40-yards.
Since that dreadful night, the 29-year-old has had two loan spells. One with Turkish side Besiktas, the other with Union Berlin.
How did Karius fare in his two loan spells?
Liverpool signed Alisson from Roma for a fee of £67 million (Sky Sports) in the summer of 2018. Therefore, in August that year, he joined Turkish side Besiktas on a two-year loan. This was a big opportunity for Karius to hit the reset button and revive his career.
In his debut match for Besiktas, he was booked for time wasting with his team leading 1-0. He also hesitated on a cross, from which Bursaspor got the equaliser.
Another mistake he made was in the Europa League against Swedish side Malmo. Karius allowed a deflected cross to sneak under the bar, despite him trying to palm the ball out of play for a corner.
In May 2020, the German terminated his Besiktas contract due to his wages not being paid. He also sought legal action against the club due to a four-month back payment.
In September 2020, Karius joined German side Union Berlin on a season-long loan. He only played five games for the club (a DFB Pokal appearance and four Bundesliga appearances).
So it's safe to say that Karius has struggled to make an impact since the 2018 Champions League Final.
Some Newcastle fans may be underwhelmed, but it's unlikely they'll see Karius feature much in black and white
Journalist Florian Plettenberg was the first to break the story of Karius joining Newcastle.
Excl. News #Karius: He is on verge to join Newcastle United and has already arrived at #NUFC! Darlow is injured, he should replace him. Karius will pass his medical soon. After that he will sign a short-term contract. @SkySportDE 
❗️Excl. News #Karius: He is on verge to join Newcastle United and has already arrived at #NUFC! Darlow is injured, he should replace him. Karius will pass his medical soon. After that he will sign a short-term contract. @SkySportDE 🇩🇪 https://t.co/sN1kSueOjF
It's understandable that some Newcastle fans will find this underwhelming. It definitely seems like an emergency signing.With the transfer window closed, clubs can only buy free agents.
Karius will be hoping to feature in the Carabao Cup match against Crystal Palace later this month.
EXCL: Newcastle are on the verge of signing former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius following an ankle injury to Karl Darlow in training yesterday. 🚨 EXCL: Newcastle are on the verge of signing former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius following an ankle injury to Karl Darlow in training yesterday.
Karius is a free agent & already in Newcastle for a medical ahead of short-term move 🩺 #NUFC
It's tough to see Karius get regular game time with Newcastle if both Nick Pope and Darlow are healthy. However, he should be looking to make the most of this opportunity.