:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46253144/GettyImages-460455822.0.jpg)
Brad Jones looks like a nice guy and is probably a nice guy. Christian Bale had an enlightened take on nice guys when he famously had his rant recorded on a film set. Incompetence for a project is simply not welcome. While Simon Mignolet has proved his talent this season, the sheer chasm between the first-choice and backup goalkeepers in the squad is a glaring weakness in the composition of supposed top-four challengers.
In a move to remedy this problem, Liverpool are reportedly offering Brad Jones a new contract. His deal expires in the summer, and this situation provided an opportunity for Liverpool to wish the player well in his future endeavours before finding a superior option. Finding a goalkeeper better than Jones wouldn't have been difficult to do. At all. Jones has been drastically below the quality required and was signed during the brief managerial tenure of Roy Hodgson. Liverpool need good news, not more signs of a lack of understanding of the weaknesses in the squad.
If Simon Mignolet is suspended or injured next season, calling upon Brad Jones isn't a move Liverpool need to make. This doesn't look like a move to keep Jones, loan out Danny Ward if he gets a contract renewal, and bring a better keeper so that the club can benefit from three senior keepers. Even in this scenario, a younger third-choice keeper with potential supporting two goalkeepers battling for the number one spot would be far more preferable. A 33-year-old goalkeeper isn't the problem if he has the right quality, but Jones never had the quality to be on Liverpool's bench in his twenties. Since his arrival in August 2010, the player hasn't shown any significant signs of improvement.
It's a poor move by the club, and there's no other way to dress it. A goalkeeper, right back, dominant midfielder, and centre back were the four areas where there is barely any depth in terms of quality. There can be arguments for another centre back and striker in addition to these four positions along with any free transfer opportunities such as James Milner or Yevhen Konoplyanka, but keeping Brad Jones? Channelling funds into a few key positions and waiting in January or next summer for another goalkeeper could be behind the move, but it's still puzzling for a club supposedly desperate to improve its competitiveness next season.
