Official: Simon Mignolet Joins Club Brugge

Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

Mignolet is going back to Belgium, signing a five-year deal with Club Brugge.

It’s official. After six seasons at Anfield, Simon Mignolet has joined Jupiler Pro League side Club Brugge in a deal reportedly worth €7M plus add-ons that could see it rise to €9M. The 31-year-old shot stopper has signed a five-year deal with his new club.

Mignolet joined Liverpool in the summer of 2013 in a £9M deal from Sunderland and made a phenomenal first impression at his new club, stopping an 89th minute penalty to preserve a 1-0 victory against Stoke City in the 2013-14 league season opener.

He spent the next three seasons as first choice for the Reds, but the arrival of Jürgen Klopp and questions about his suitability as first choice for a side looking to re-establish itself amongst Europe’s elite were the beginning of a difficult stretch for Mignolet.

He and Loris Karius for a time battled for the starting job, and when it eventually became clear that Karius would not be the long-term answer Klopp was looking for, the club turned to Alisson and with that, Mignolet became second choice for good.

The assumption all along has been that it’s a situation that would see Mignolet depart—first last summer and again heading into the 2019 off-season. By all accounts, though, Mignolet has remained a consummate professional and respected teammate.

Now, he will again get the starting minutes he has wanted, joining a club in this season’s Champions League qualifying rounds that finished runners-up in Belgium last year and are perennial title hopefuls. We wish him the best of luck at his new club.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com