Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina has finally brought an end to his misery at Liverpool to an end after agreeing a permanent move to Bayern Munich. The former number one goalkeeper at Liverpool has struggled for first-team opportunities following the arrival of Simon Mignolet last summer. The Belgian international was brought to Anfield for £ 9 million and Reina immediately found himself on the fringes. After having been a first-team regular for almost a decade, the inability to play every week resulted in him moving to Napoli on a season-long loan deal.
This move reunited with his former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez and Reina once again found himself playing regularly. There were indications throughout last season that he would like to make the move permanent, but it is understood that Napoli were unable to agree a transfer fee with Liverpool. The prospect of spending a season on the bench reckoned the 31-year-old until the interest from Bayern Munich came out of the blue. Despite having one of the best goalkeepers in the form of Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich’s interest in the 31-year-old was surprising.
However, Reina recently completed a move to the German outfit. He is almost certain to play as the backup for Neuer. This does not appear to trouble him right now as it did when it came to being the backup for Mignolet. “It reflects what we were looking for. We wanted a goalkeeper who is experienced and established and also has certain footballing qualities,” said Bayern’s chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The arrival of Reina means that manager Pep Guardiola has two top goalkeepers at his disposal. This marks a significant shift in the transfer policy of major clubs to have only one top goalkeeper.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have also adopted a similar policy in recent months by signing two top goalkeepers.