Nathan Collins hails Caoimhín Kelleher as a goalkeeper of some stature
Nathan Collins is excited at the prospect of Caoimhín Kelleher joining him at Brentford next season, saying that the London club have now a goalkeeper of some stature.
Last week, Kelleher, after period at Liverpool where he made a telling impact when deputising for Alison Becker, made the switch for an initial £12.5m fee.
Collins was asked about Kelleher's arrival following Ireland's 0-0 draw with Luxembourg on Tuesday evening and told RTÉ Sport: "It's great to be able to play with someone of that stature".
The Irish skipper, not surprisingly, is pleased that the Corkman is now a No 1 club keeper.
"I think he deserves it, for all he's done for his previous club and how he has played in those high-level games. It's unbelievable, to bring a player of that calibre into the club and create a partnership with him on and off the field is going to be great for us."
Nathan Collins says his side were 'nowhere near our best' in their 0-0 draw against Luxembourg this evening but that he 'will take' a clean sheet, chances and a draw.
FT: 🇱🇺 LUX 0-0 🇮🇪 IRL
📺 @rte2 & @rteplayer
📱 Match report 👇 https://t.co/hHyXc7wK2N pic.twitter.com/sTRJ5cFd7A
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 10, 2025
Of course it was Thomas Frank who brought Kelleher to Brentford but the Dane looks set to take over at Tottenham.
Collins was quick to pay tribute to his now former club boss, but is confident the Bees have the personnel to move on.
"Thomas is unbelievable, I can only speak highly of him and what he has done for me as a player, what he has done for me over the last two seasons, the player he created. It will be a massive disappointment to lose him. But the way the club is and I know the team we have there, I don't think it will be a problem. We are able bring in good players to create that connection on the pitch. As I said, I don't think it will be a problem."
Against Luxembourg, the Leixlip native nearly found the net in the opening half as his header on goal came off the woodwork. It's fair to say he was somewhat disappointed. when remarking: "We want to be a threat in every way possible. Set-pieces are a big thing for us, we have a good size in there so we should be creating a bit more. I was trying to read Dara's (O'Shea) header and get something on it."
And so after a season where Collins played the most minutes of anyone in the Premier League, it's time for a well-earned break, but the 24-year-old is already looking towards those World Cup qualifiers in September against Hungary and Armenia.
"I can't lie, I'm so excited for them," the defender added.
"The home game against Hungary is going to be something else. We have momentum and we want to build on that, and I think we have a good chance of getting a win there. In this camp we wanted to win two games, we didn't, but we didn't lose. So that's the kind of momentum we want to create going forward."
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