Caoimhin Kelleher hinted at a potential departure from Liverpool as he wants to play regularly from next season onwards.
It’s a challenging task for some talented goalkeepers to get a solid breakthrough, especially with big teams. Stefan Ortega at Manchester City and Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal have all proved their worth in the secondary role, and so has Caoimhin Kelleher in a big way, especially in the previous campaign.
Kelleher had the big task of usurping Alisson Becker’s No.1 position, although he did benefit from the Brazilian’s long injury layoff at the start of the calendar year. Kelleher played around 14 games in a row for Liverpool in all competitions and 26 throughout the season, including the Carabao Cup win over Chelsea.
The 25-year-old Liverpool Cup hero has now hinted at a possible departure from Liverpool with his comments on NY Times / The Athletic as he seeks regular football, here at Anfield or elsewhere. With Alisson set to continue at the club and with three years remaining on his contract, it’s safe to assume Kelleher might not wait on for another seaosn as he will likely move elsewhere.
On how he felt during the p[period when he played regularly, Kelleher said, “When you’re going into games having not played for a few months, it’s really difficult, especially for a goalkeeper,”
“I’ve always tried to be professional and stay focused because anything can happen, and you might be called upon to come in. But playing every week, I felt so much more comfortable. It was the best feeling.
However, he was grounded to the fact that it’s impossible to usurp Alisson’s place in the starting lineup as things stand, as Kelleher hinted at a possible departure from Liverpool.
He said, “It would be great if that happened at Liverpool, but I’m not silly. I know that Ali has been the best goalkeeper in the world for years.
“I’ve had such an amazing time at Liverpool. It’s been a crazy journey for me and one that I’ve absolutely loved. I love the club, I love the fans and I have a great relationship with the players and the staff. Whether it’s here at Liverpool or somewhere else, I do feel the next step for me is to be a No 1.”
Meanwhile, Kelleher has yet to inform the club about his decision or anything of that sort. In fact, the 25-year-old keeper insisted he will engage in talks in the coming period to determine his future while also revealing what Klopp told him last summer when he was linked with a move away.
Kelleher continued, “I wouldn’t say I was pushing (to leave) last summer but saying, ‘Look, I need to kick on for my career’. Jurgen said, ‘If anything happens to Ali, we really need you to be there’. It worked out for the best this season because I played 26 games.”
“There will be some discussions over the coming weeks. The club was busy with the manager leaving and appointing a new one. With all the new staff arriving, those talks will happen.”
Meanwhile, there are links with Celtic, who are keen on Kelleher to replace the retiring Joe Hart between the sticks. Liverpool is known for being tough negotiators for their talent and will reportedly seek at least €20 million to sell Kelleher, who still has two years left on his deal.
There have been reports that Kelleher would force an exit from the club, although reading his comments in the report, it does feel the player will not make any move of that sort. However, for the sake of his career, he might have to leave Liverpool and join a club where he is the starting goalkeeper from next season onwards.
