Liverpool are beginning to plan for life after Alisson Becker.
A report by Football Insider has claimed that the Reds are already assessing potential replacements for the long-serving goalkeeper.
The 34-year-old remains Andoni Iraola’s first choice and has started every Premier League and Champions League game this season. However, his contract expires at the end of the campaign and Liverpool have no plans to extend it beyond its current terms.
Alisson attracted strong interest from Juventus during the summer and could once again draw approaches in January. Brazilian clubs are also expected to monitor his situation, giving the goalkeeper several possible destinations should he decide to end his spell at Anfield.
Liverpool’s decision is not based solely on his contract. There are increasing concerns over his age, injury record and some high-profile mistakes this season, prompting the club to prepare for a transition rather than wait until the summer to begin searching for alternatives.
Mamardashvili stakes his claim as succession planning begins
Liverpool’s recruitment team are understood to be conducting extensive work on potential successors, although the club already have a strong internal candidate in Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Georgia international has impressed when called upon this season and is increasingly viewed as a genuine contender to inherit the number-one position. His performances have given Liverpool the option of promoting from within rather than immediately entering an expensive goalkeeper market.
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown explained that Liverpool are doing their homework on several goalkeepers because of the uncertainty surrounding Alisson’s future. The Reds could therefore enter the summer with two options: trust Mamardashvili as their permanent starter or recruit another goalkeeper to compete with him. Much will depend on how the Georgian develops during the remainder of the campaign.
For Alisson, meanwhile, the coming months could represent the closing chapter of an outstanding Liverpool career. His departure would leave an enormous gap in experience, but the club appear determined to make the transition on their own terms.
Liverpool must see the big picture
Liverpool should be careful not to allow Alisson’s recent mistakes to distort the bigger picture. Goalkeepers inevitably become more vulnerable to injuries and inconsistency as they enter their mid-thirties, but replacing an elite performer is considerably harder than identifying a younger goalkeeper with potential.
Mamardashvili has perhaps the most interesting role in this equation. Liverpool did not sign him merely as short-term cover; the Georgian was brought in with the expectation that he could eventually challenge for the starting position. This could be the moment for the club to find out whether he is genuinely ready.
If he continues progressing, Liverpool should resist the temptation to spend heavily simply for the sake of replacing Alisson with another established name. The money could be better directed towards other areas of the squad. However, the Reds must have a contingency plan as Alisson’s departure would remove one of the most reliable foundations of the team, and Liverpool cannot afford to discover only in the summer that Mamardashvili is not ready for the responsibility.
