The Anfield legend has nothing but praise for the new signing from Sunderland and is hopeful that the Reds will be able to hold onto “phenomenal” striker Luis Suarez

EXCLUSIVE
By Bima Said

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has applauded the club’s decision to sign goalkeeper Simon Mignolet from Sunderland, believing that it is a “fantastic deal” for the club.

The Belgian completed his switch to Anfield on Tuesday, signing a long-term contract with Brendan Rodgers’ side, and Fowler believes the move will help the 25-year-old in his quest to dislodge Thibaut Courtois in the battle to be his country’s No.1.

“I think he was a great keeper last year,” Fowler told Goal. “You’d have to look at his nationality as well. The flux of Belgian players in the top leagues and top teams is frightening. I think it’s a fantastic deal.

“He performed well last year in the Premier League, made some great saves and obviously he wants to be the Belgian No.1 and playing in the Premier League is certainly going to stabilise that.”

On the subject of Luis Suarez’s future, who has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid, Fowler hailed the Uruguay striker and is hoping that Rodgers can keep hold of his star man.

“I don’t think there’s ever a good time to sell players to be honest,” the former Leeds striker continued. “Suarez is a phenomenal player and I’ve said many times that any team with him in is a strong one.

“What I’ll say is that he’s a great player and will score goals but he’s not the only player at Liverpool. There’s many players who fight for a spot and they all want to win. Regardless of what happens to Suarez, at the time he’s a Liverpool player and I think he will continue to be a Liverpool player. Let’s see … let’s hope.”

“You want him to be the best player in the world and he’s on his way there but some of his misdemeanours are not great and Suarez is the first to admit that,” Fowler admitted. “He’s said that many times himself.

“But, I’ll be honest with you, I’m going to focus on his football. I love watching him as a player. He excites me and people should try to focus more on his playing style. I know he doesn’t really help himself at times but I’m a big fan of what he tries to achieve on the pitch.”

The Reds finished seventh in the Premier League last term, again missing out on a place in the Champions League, but Fowler believes that the club are heading in the right direction with Rodgers at the helm.

“I think that we’re at that transitional period, trying to bring in new players and they’ll need to gel,” he said. “There’s a lot of potential and the progression I’ve seen for the last few years that has definitely been there and I fully expect it to be happening this year.

“Brendan is making the right noises, he is doing the right things, bringing the right players in. There’s so much you can do and it’s really down to the players to prove their worth and get the club into the top four. When you get into that position, and maintain consistency, you’ll be confident and might challenge to move further up the table.”

Robbie Fowler was in Jakarta to promote the club’s pre-season Asia Tour 2013. For information on tickets, visit lfctour.com.