The future of several players at Liverpool has been a prominent theme of conversation among Reds supporters in recent weeks and months, and one man who’d been strongly linked with an exit has now addressed questions about his situation at Anfield.
For much of the summer transfer window, there was speculation that Caoimhin Kelleher would move on from Merseyside, and Nottingham Forest put in an unsuccessful bid just before the 30 August deadline.
The goalkeeper has made clear on more than one occasion that he’s eager to establish himself as an undisputed first choice, something he hasn’t managed with LFC due to the brilliance of Alisson Becker.
Kelleher not weighing up Liverpool future
Kelleher is enjoying another sustained spell in the Liverpool starting XI with the Brazilian out injured, puttin in some ‘outstanding‘ performances in the words of Steve McManaman, and he spoke to the media on Monday ahead of tomorrow night’s Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen.
When asked whether he’s currently thinking about his own future, the 25-year-old replied: “It’s not in my thinking at the moment, to be honest, no. It’s quite early on in the season. My focus is on playing well; if I’m thinking about the future and different things like that, it’s not going to help my game.
“I need to be clear mentally to play well, so that’s not coming into my thinking at the moment, to be honest.”
Will this be Kelleher’s final season at Liverpool?
Kelleher hasn’t been slow to voice his desire to become a first-choice elsewhere, so he appears to have changed his tune in recent weeks, perhaps due to him enjoying a run of starts while Alisson is out injured.
What we can say for certain is that he’s once again stepping up commendably in Liverpool’s hour of need, making a fine save to prevent Georginio Rutter from doubling Brighton’s lead in the first half on Saturday before the Reds ultimately prevailed 2-1.
However, with the Irishman turning 26 later this month and with Giorgi Mamardashvili coming to Anfield next year, there still seems a distinct possibility that he’ll seek to move on in search of the guaranteed first-choice status that his talents deserve.
We’re just glad that Kelleher is still an LFC player for this season, and Arne Slot must be incredibly glad that the hierarchy didn’t cash in on the Cork native during the summer.