Simon Mignolet is reportedly close to signing a new four-year deal for Liverpool, but there have been questions whether or not the Belgian deserves a new deal, after an inconsistent time at the club. 

The Red's biggest concern over the last couple of seasons, is the amount of goals they have let in, due to a leaky back four, and a keeper that hasn't showed many signs of being a top-four custodian.

The Liverpool number one is known mainly for being a brilliant shot stopper, and that is what the club has seen at times, but during his time at Anfield, he failed to develop into anything more, and has come under critism more times than he has received any praise.

Most notably, ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobelaar has publicly criticised Mignolet on numerous occasions, stating that the Belgian is not good enough for the Reds, and that they are trying to sign a replacement.

How good is he compared to rival keepers?

Compared to other 'top four' goalkeepers, David De Gea, Thibaut Courtois, Petr Cech and Joe Hart, Mignolet is possibly the worst of the lot.

Manchester United, despite being quite poor in recent seasons, have one of the best goalkeepers in the world. De Gea has made countless spectacular saves, and has earned his team many points, that have kept them in the race for Champions League qualification.

Cech moved to Arsenal this season in a £10 million deal with many predicting that the experienced 'keeper could be the signing that wins the Gunners the league. At Christmas they are second in the league and Cech has made some key saves this season, winning Arsenal some crucial points.

Meanwhile Courtois is Belgium's number one keeper, ahead of Mignolet, and has already won the Premier League and La Liga at the age of just 23.

He was one of the players of the season during the campaign in which he won the title at Atletico Madrid, and then returned to the Premier League to win the league title with Chelsea, forcing Cech out of the squad.

Finally, Joe Hart has been England's and Manchester City's number one for a number of seasons now. He has been dropped by City on several occasions, but has managed to force his way back into the team and has been vital in seasons when City have won the league.

So what's gone wrong with Mignolet?

Mignolet has one of the best clean sheet records in the calendar year of 2015, but has still come under scrutiny from fans and pundits. Why?

Well, he looks nervous when on the ball,  fails to command his box from corners and crosses and as a result, more goals are being conceded due to errors.

His most recent error came in the 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion, where he failed to punch clear an incoming cross which then led to a tap in - allowing the Baggies back into the game.

As a result, Liverpool's number one choice keeper is now the most error-prone keeper in the league since the 2013/14 season. He has made 8 errors that have led directly to goals, the most out of any other keeper.

In total, Mignolet has played more than 100 times for the Reds, and 90 times in the Premier League. In those 90 games he has conceded 112 goals, which is the third highest amount conceded in the Premier League since the start of the 2013/14 season, but strangely he has kept 28 clean sheets, which is the second highest.

Again, his save success rate is just 67.6% which is the third lowest in the league - which indicates that those clean sheets aren't all down to him.

Who could replace Mignolet?

Liverpool have been linked with a number of keepers during the recent transfer windows.

Recently, Jack Butland has been linked with a move to Anfield. The Stoke City keeper has been on fine form this season, and is pushing to be England's number one keeper for the Euro's.

Butland has been one of the stand-out players this season, and is attracting interest from numerous clubs especially with the January transfer window being around the corner.

It is expected a bid of around £20 million may be enough for him to leave the Britannia, but even that may not be enough, as he is just 22-years-old and has a huge future ahead of him.

Also linked with a possible move to Anfield is Barcelona keeper Marc ter Stegen.

The German keeper was widely tipped to be one of the best keepers in the world when Barcelona signed him to replace Victor Valdes, however he has made just four league appearances in the last 18 months, and is said to be very 'unhappy' with his lack of game-time at the Spanish club.

He is still young at 23-years-old, but after having so few appearances in recent seasons, he may not be in as good form as he once was. Liverpool may be able to sign the young German for quite cheap, and if he is adamant to move, a deal in January could well be on.

Finally, fans thought Adam Bogdan should've been given a chance to battle Mignolet for the number one spot.

After impressing in cup games, and Mignolet performing poorly, it was expected that the summer signing would be allowed to prove himself in the Premier League.

After Mignolet picked up an injury, Bogdan was given the nod to start on the weekend against Watford, but things couldn't have gone more wrong. Bogdan's first touch was to drop a corner, which led to Nathan Ake scoring a tap in, which then led to Klopp's men getting beaten 3-0.

After the performance, it was made clear that Liverpool need a new goalkeeper as soon as possible if they are going to launch a top-four charge this year, next year and the following seasons after that.

Does Mignolet have a future under Klopp?

Given recent performances, it seems that Mignolet hasn't justified himself getting a new four-year deal, but it could be an attempt to boost his confidence and show the support he has from the manager.

Mignolet could then be a back-up choice keeper under Klopp, as it seems the German is a fan of the Belgium and he would provide good competition for any of his recent replacements.