When Caoimhin Kelleher filled in for the injured Alisson last week, he knew his opportunity wouldn’t last forever. By his own latest admission it appears those appearances have only strengthened his desire to leave Liverpool.
Arne Slot found himself in his first real conundrum during this current stint of the campaign when tests showed first-choice goalkeeper Alisson was to miss two matches against Bournemouth and West Ham. Granted, the problem could have been much worse, but this marked the first time the head coach would have to call upon back-up to get the job done.
Kelleher had performed excellently when called upon by Jurgen Klopp in the past, with the German labelling him the ‘best No. 2 goalie in the world’ in February 2022.
“Alisson Becker is the best goalie in the world for me,” said Klopp following the Carabao Cup Final win over Chelsea. “There are other good goalkeepers out there but this goalie is absolutely insane.
“But to be honest for me Caoimhin Kelleher is the best No. 2 goalie in the world as well. “The game he played tonight was absolutely incredible. I can remember at least two incredible saves, and probably there were more.
“So he proved that the decision to line him up was absolutely right. And then in a very spectacular penalty shootout he showed the whole range of his skill set. He finished one off with his really skilled feet. So top class.
“They call it the people’s cup, but the whole journey was a squad journey, and that’s what I love most about it.”
In this new era, especially after an admission of the desire to seek higher status – even if elsewhere – only last month, the question loomed over Kelleher’s ongoing commitment to the cause. As always, he entered the fray and carried himself superbly in two victories.
But, speaking on his unofficial moniker of ‘the best second goalkeeper in the Premier League’, with talkSPORT this week he has freshly renounced this idea.
“It’s not a title I want – I want to be playing week in, week out,” he said – a task that is currently difficult behind Alisson, and will likely continue to be when Giorgi Mamardashvili eventually joins Liverpool as per the agreement struck with Valencia this summer.
