Sentiment seemed to turn against Simon Mignolet around the holidays last season; the Belgian goalkeeper had started the season strongly, making a number of key saves to help Liverpool preserve an unbeaten start, but as the winter months approached there was a growing sense that he wasn't quite as reliable as those early performances had suggested. Goals conceded against Manchester City and Chelsea sent doubts into overdrive, and it seems as though Liverpool's number one--or at least his reputation--hasn't quite recovered.
Shaky displays to start this season haven't helped, and talk of a move for competition and/or a replacement have been in full swing since the summer. A deal to bring Victor Valdes fell through in the past month, but there's talk that Liverpool are set to pursue a number of targets ahead of the January window with a view to stabilizing a rocky defensive contingent.
Asmir Begovic is a name that should be familiar to Liverpool supporters given that he was expected to arrive prior to Mignolet in the summer of 2013, and he's again linked with a move from Stoke City for £10m. The Bosnian was reportedly keen on a Merseyside switch when it was discussed in May of last year, but the purchase of Mignolet ruled out a deal at that time. As an all-around option it's possible that Begovic rates higher than Liverpool's current number one; the 27-year-old has been roundly excellent for Stoke since arriving in 2010, and his signing would likely come with the expectation that he'd be starting more often than not.
The other name linked of late is a new one, with Neto of Fiorentina entering the picture as a possibility either in January or the summer of 2015. The Brazilian's contract expires at the end of the current season, but rumors have Liverpool interested in a deal that could see him arrive during the January window.
It remains to be seen if Liverpool's interest pans out (or if the current rumors extend beyond the likes of the Mirror and the Mail), but with the defense as a whole failing to convince on a regular basis, there's going to be no shortage of talk about how to fix the parts that have been broken for most of the past few months.