Loris Karius: The story of Newcastle United’s latest signing from Jurgen Klopp’s praise to Liverpool exile and future hopes

Karius is probably most remembered for his two high-profile mistakes in Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in 2018, but there is so much more to his career than that game.

Here, we take a look at Karius’ career to date and what has been said about his goalkeeping style:

How Loris Karius burst onto the scene

Aged just 19, Karius became the youngest ever Bundesliga goalkeeper when he made his debut for Mainz.

Handed this start by Thomas Tuchel, Karius would go on to make 96 appearances in all competitions for the German side, keeping 32 clean sheets.

After impressing at his former club, Jurgen Klopp would move for Karius in summer 2016, describing him as a ‘very good goalkeeper’ upon his arrival to Merseyside.

Karius’ time at Liverpool

Karius came to Anfield as competition for Simon Mignolet, with the hope that the German would eventually dislodge his Belgian counterpart to become No.1.

However, Karius broke his hand during his first pre-season - an injury he would never really recover from during his time at the club.

Klopp dropped Karius ahead of a win over Middlesbrough in December 2016 but reiterated that the German was still in his plans, describing Karius as being in ‘a bad moment’ at that time.

Karius played 16 times in his first season at Anfield before playing 19 league games in 2017/18. However, he did play in every match of Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final in Kyiv, keeping six clean-sheets in the process.

Karius started the final against Real Madrid, but made two big errors that allowed Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale to score.

This would be the last time he made a competitive appearance for the Reds before being moved to Turkish side Besiktas.

Life after Liverpool

Karius moved to Turkey on a two-year loan deal with an obligation for Besiktas to purchase him for £7.5million - should certain performance criteria be met.

However, Karius struggled whilst in Turkey with Besiktas boss Senol Gunes, a former goalkeeper in his playing days, delivering a brutal assessment of his time at the club:

"Karius has gone a bit stagnant, something is wrong with his electricity, motivation, enthusiasm for the game. It has been like that since the beginning.

"He does not really feel a part of the team, it's something we haven't been able to work out and, of course, I am partly to blame for this.”

Karius moved to Union Berlin in 202/21 but failed to usurp Andreas Luthe, making just five appearances in all competitions.

What has Karius said about his future?

Karius was released by Liverpool this summer and speaking in June, Karius told Sky Sports Germany: “There were ups and downs. It’s part of the game, that’s football, but I’ve developed as a person.

“The level at which we worked every day, and the professionalism that everyone exemplifies, was unique.

“I’ll take my determination, and this determination, with me to my next job.

“I’m free and I can make my own decisions. This is a new situation that I’m looking forward to. A new challenge is coming up, but that’s always a good thing. I’m ready, mentally and physically.”