For Liverpool fans, it’s becoming difficult to keep up with the pace of change at Anfield this summer.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has left Liverpool, with Jeremie Frimpong’s arrival confirmed inside six hours, while deals for Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez seem to be on the verge of being completed, and several other first-team members are awaiting news on their future.
Arne Slot is keen to stamp his authority on the Premier League champions and it seems he’s not afraid to wait around.
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From the outside, you’d suggest that Liverpool don’t need major reconstruction this summer, but Slot is clearly hoping to mould some elements of the squad to his liking.
Tying down Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to new contracts shows he’s hoping to bed in some new faces in the next year or two, but it will have to be done by allowing some familiar faces to leave.
One of these familiar faces is back-up goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. The Irish international has been a vital part of Liverpool’s squad for the past three seasons, deputising impressively for Alisson who hasn’t been short of injury issues.
The Athletic have reported that a bid of around £18 million has been accepted by the Reds from Brentford, as Kelleher looks to finally be given his chance as a no.1.
He played 20 times across all competitions for Liverpool this season and conceded just 20 goals, keeping nine clean sheets. In November, he made a sensational penalty save from Kylian Mbappe and helped his side to a 2-0 win over Real Madrid at Anfield in the Champions League.
Georgian shotstopper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is recognised by FourFourTwo in our list of the best goalkeepers in the world, will be arriving as his replacement with a deal agreed last summer, and he has continuously stated his desire to challenge Alisson for the goalkeepers shirt in the upcoming season.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, allowing Kelleher to leave was the right thing to do, for Liverpool and for him. at 26 years old he is entering a period of his career where he needs regular minutes, something he is sure to get at Brentford with current ‘keeper Mark Flekken reportedly heading to Bayer Leverkusen.
Liverpool got some great performances from Kelleher, notably two League Cup finals, and allowing him to leave now as a Premier League champion feels fitting.
