I've already provided an analysis on the previous page which shows that De Gea in his 1st season had a far higher save:shot ratio. That is the crucial stat in my opinion, as clean sheets can be due to anything from a good defence, to a low number of shots on goal. To identify a good keeper, we must consider how many shots on target the keeper actually saves. Of course, there is a further issue of how good the shot was (how saveable), but there is no stat to consider that.
Clearly, we cannot compare De Gea's 1st season or use it as an excuse for Karius. De Gea was better than Karius back then.
Not just that, but Karius was poor throughout. He saved Ronaldo's header but pushed it to Benzema, and was the goal was only marginally offside. We were lucky there. Karius did not know there was an offside call and should have deflected the ball away from the incoming player.
Then there was the shot from Isco (?) which hit the bar. Karius came running out, got no where near the ball, and Isco easily chipped the ball over him. So lucky that did not go in.
Well, your analysis was wrong. Save/shot ratio is arguably the worst stat to compare goalkeepers. All it shows are goalkeepers having higher save % numbers when they're playing for teams that usually play low defensive lines.
Think about it for a second, why do you think the likes of De Gea and Pope have such high save numbers and high % to go with them? De Gea is obviously a top goalkeeper. Pope is distinctly average and his weaknesses are masked in Burnley's system. If you play a low block, you invite the opposition to take shots from long distance or difficult angles. You'll see crazy numbers where they concede 20 odd shots in a game with like 8 on target or whatever. Goalkeepers in those systems will always deal with a lot of
low quality shots. If you play open, expansive football with a high line, the purpose of the system is to limit the amount of shots, which is why the likes of City, us and Spurs concede the lowest amount of shots. Yet the shots the goalkeepers do face, are of higher quality, so their save % will likely be a little bit lower. Doesn't mean they're worse goalkeepers, they just face more difficult shots when the system in front of them fails to prevent them. I once made a map with all spots we conceded goals from, 90% of those were from relatively close range in central areas.
Our whole system is set up to limit the amount of shots the opposition gets and we succeed at that. Bar City (from what I can remember), we face the fewest shots on target in the league. Karius (or any sweeper keeper), plays a big part in that. How often do you see him rushing off of his line to clear the ball? How often do you see him come out and collect through balls? He prevents shots so they don't show in his save numbers, which is why his number is lower. The difference with goalkeepers like De Gea and Pope is that they don't prevent these shots, they try to save them and so they face far more shots.
People that think Alisson is the answer and is worth the £60-70 million we would be paying for him, obviously haven't watched him enough. Is it possible that he is marginally better than Karius? Maybe. Is he £60-70 million better than Karius? No way. Don't forget that he'll likely take at least a season to adapt to the Premier League and the physicality when it comes to crosses and set pieces. He has shown to be pretty average at that department of his game, while Karius actually has stellar numbers coming for crosses (amongst the best in Europe). He also likes to take on attackers doing Cruijf-turns and stuff on a regular basis. People shat themselves when Mignolet did it and want Karius to play it long and safe, yet when Alisson does it, it probably is alright and amazing? Double standards. Allison, at this moment in time, is a near carbon copy of Karius, in my opinion.
Oblak isn't the answer either. It would be like buying a top striker who has only ever played as a target man and out and out 9, as good as he might be as a target man, we don't use one in our system. He's probably amazing, but he won't fit the system and we will be facing far more shots than we do now, unless we would adapt our whole style of play. Oblak will look like a fool in our system when he has to leave the box or play it out from the back. Put Oblak in United's set-up and he'll look like the best goalie in the world (and rightly so, he is an amazing goalkeeper). Courtois will have the same issues in our system. Anyone who has watched Chelsea frequently this season, will have seen him struggling to play it out from the back or messing up when he has to leave the box.
Karius is still my number 1 going into next season, on the condition that he recovers mentally.