Caoimhin Kelleher must be wondering what more he must do in order to prove himself at Liverpool.
The Irishman has waited patiently in the wings for several years at Anfield, having been unable to dislodge Alisson Becker as our first-choice goalkeeper and only getting his chance when the Brazilian has been rested or injured.
Shortly after the end of last season, the 25-year-old went public with his views that he feels ready to become an established first-choice and would be prepared to move on from the Reds if that’s what’s required. Just like those who play online slots, he might feel that now is the right time to take the gamble.
If Kelleher was glancing at the exit door earlier this summer, he could now be staring it down with intent amid the pursuit of Giorgi Mamardashvili.
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Fabrizio Romano has claimed that personal terms have been agreed with the Valencia goalkeeper, with a view to him coming in further down the line to take over the number 1 spot from Alisson.
Even if the proposed transfer doesn’t come off, a clear message has been sent that the man from Cork isn’t seen as the long-term successor to the Brazil international as Liverpool’s first-choice stopper.
Quite frankly, Kelleher seems to be the epitome of the right man at the wrong time for the Reds.
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Granted, it’d be incredibly hard to drop a ‘keeper of Alisson’s consistent brilliance, but nobody can deny that our second-choice netminder has never let the team down when called upon. If anything, he’s proven to be a man for the big occasion, as two heroic (and victorious) Carabao Cup final performances indicate.
The 25-year-old got the nod to start in each of Liverpool’s pre-season games in the USA under Arne Slot over the past month and enhanced his reputation further, particularly in the first half of the 3-0 win over Manchester United at the start of this month.
As superb a goalkeeper as Mamardashvili has proven to be – look up his performance for Georgia against Czechia at Euro 2024 if you haven’t seen it already – it’s cruel on Kelleher that, even once our current number 1 goes, he’s set to be bypassed in the pecking order by the new man in town.
With the Reds currently boasting two outstanding ‘keepers and possibly bringing in another, it seems astonishing now to think of how problematic that position had been at Anfield in previous years.
If this version of Kelleher were in Liverpool’s first team in the era of Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius, he’d 100% have been first-choice. Go back further to when the likes of Sander Westerveld and David James both had multiple seasons as regular starters, and with no disrespect to that duo, the Irishman has proven to be more reliable (or certainly less error-prone).
It looks increasingly as if the Republic of Ireland international could depart, and it’d be hard to blame him for wanting out. Whoever eventually signs him will have a lot of lucky stars to count, in contrast to the highly unfortunate timing (from his point of view) of his emergence on Merseyside.
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HE IS SIMPLY NOT GOOD. NO BIG CLUB EVER COME TO BUY HIM.