‘I was very surprised Liverpool signed Giorgi Mamardashvili - I know what it will mean for Alisson'
Ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld has said he was surprised his former club decided to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili last summer and said he thinks it's time for Caoimhin Kelleher to leave.
Arne Slot has an abundance of goalkeeping options and, before next season, could have three first-choice international stoppers to choose from. Alisson remains the undisputed No.1 - for now, at least - while a deal is in place for Mamardashvili to sign from Valencia this summer.
That, according to Westerveld, was a strange decision by the Reds, although he doesn't dispute the quality of the arriving Georgian. 'I was very surprised when Liverpool signed Mamardashvili,' he told journalists after Liverpool legends' game against Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday.
READ MORE: Peter Crouch changed his mind on robot celebration just minutes before Liverpool return
READ MORE: Liverpool legend furious at being substituted during win over Chelsea
'I follow Spanish football and I know how good this guy is. I said after the last Euros that he was the best goalkeeper in the Euros. This season he has been criticised a little. I'm not worried. It's obviously for the no.2 spot, as Alisson will be the no.1.'
It also leaves the question of what happens to Kelleher, who has regularly shown his quality over recent seasons in the cup competitions and when Alisson has been unavailable.
'With Kelleher, I think his time has come to play regularly as a no.1 somewhere,' said Westerveld, who played over 100 times for the Reds in his career. 'In the Premier League and Championship, he could be a great goalkeeper for almost all of the teams that there are.
'He's a quality goalkeeper and he needs to play. As a fan I would like him to stay another a bit longer but then Liverpool would have two of the best goalkeepers in Europe [behind Alisson].'
Asked if he feels rotating is an option for goalkeepers, Westerveld replied: 'No, I don't think so. [Mikel] Arteta said something at the start of the season. My fellow Dutchman, Bart Verbruggen had that situation last season [at Brighton].
'You should have a no.1 and a good back-up, either an experienced guy who knows he's no.2 and can come in and doesn't need to play five games to get rhythm because he's got experience, or you can have a slightly younger goalkeeper, like Kelleher, who shows himself and the quality.
'At the moment Liverpool are having a luxury problem and hopefully we can have that next season, too.'
READ MORE: History made in Liverpool Legends game with two Chelsea players crunched seconds later
READ MORE: Steven Gerrard fumes at Liverpool teammate during charity match as icon can't hide anger
Westerveld was speaking after he played just under 45 minutes as Liverpool legends beat a side containing former Chelsea players 2-0 at Anfield, with both goals scored by Peter Crouch.
'Always happy, especially with a clean sheet,' said the Dutchman. 'I'm always nervous for these kinds of games because I don't know how fit I am. In my head I'm still the 28-year-old that played here but when there's a low ball and my head thinks like I'm going to dive quickly and my body goes so slow.
'So it's always I'm very nervous during the game and then especially when I can make a save once or twice then I'm extra happy. But of course it's all about the money, it's all about the Foundation. It's all about the crowd and the stadium so summing everything up, it's been a perfect day.
Nearly 60,000 were in attendance at Anfield on a sunny Merseyside afternoon, with the funds from the game being donated to the LFC Foundation and its incredible work in the local community.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
30 minutes ago
- New York Post
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton ‘looks pretty good' since returning from injury
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free CINCINNATI — Seven games are not nearly enough to know what the Yankees are going to get out of Giancarlo Stanton this season. But in the limited sample size, Aaron Boone has liked what he has seen so far, even without Stanton flashing any of his power just yet. 'I feel like he looks pretty good,' Boone said after Stanton went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts in a 6-1 loss to the Reds at Great American Ballpark. 'I feel like he's on time for things, tracking the ball. … There's going to be swing-and-miss in G's game, that's part of it. I actually feel like he's in a pretty good place right now.' Giancarlo Stanton swings during the Yankees-Reds game on June 23, 2025. Getty Images Stanton finished Monday batting 7-for-23 with one double, two walks and nine strikeouts in the week since making his season debut after missing the first two and a half months with tendinitis in both elbows. Eight of those strikeouts have come in his last three games alone. The 35-year-old DH, who started Monday for the sixth time in eight games, has continued to hit the ball hard when he makes contact, including a 109.8 mph single against the Reds. Where he can improve, Boone indicated, is getting those balls in the air. 'Some of his best shots have been a low liner or ball in the ground,' Boone said. 'I think the next step is getting some balls a little bit more airborne. But feel like he's recognizing pitches pretty well.' Before the game, Boone said he will be deliberate in getting Stanton days off to try to make sure he stays healthy the rest of the season. 'With our club and the roster, we have that freedom a little bit to say, be a little bit more disciplined to probably play him two out of three days here and there,' Boone said. 'We'll continue to evolve as we go and continue to pay attention to how he's doing and how he's right now, especially in these early days, I'm putting a value on making sure I give him that day, even when maybe you want to do otherwise.' Marcus Stroman will make another rehab start with Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, when he is expected to throw around 70 pitches. It could be the veteran's last rehab outing, depending on what the Yankees want to do with him — possibly slotting him back into the rotation while Ryan Yarbrough is on the injured list, though Allan Winans was called up on Monday to fill his spot in the meantime. In the latest update on fan voting for the All-Star Game, Aaron Judge was the only Yankee leading his position — not to mention all of baseball. Paul Goldschmidt (who was overtaken by the Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the lead at first base) and Ben Rice (at DH) ranked second at their respective positions. The first phase of fan voting ends on Thursday at noon, with the top two vote-getters at each position advancing to the second phase of voting to determine who makes the team.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'A dream come true.' Chase Burns discusses his Cincinnati Reds debut vs. New York Yankees
Aaron who? That's not quite how Chase Burns reacted to a question about inevitably having to face Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees slugger, during his MLB debut, but the Cincinnati Reds rookie wasn't awed by the task ahead of him. Advertisement "I know he's there," Burns said. "Haven't really thought about it too much. I'm kind of just enjoying the moment. Once it comes to that point, I'll lock in." That response accurately captured Burns' demeanor on the eve of his June 24 MLB debut at Great American Ball Park against the defending AL champion and current AL East-leading Yankees. Holding court with about two dozen media members June 23 just outside of the Reds clubhouse, Burns was a picture of measured confidence, appreciation for the moment and self-awareness. "I'm just excited. It's a dream come true," Burns said. "Actually being a big leaguer. All my work's paid off, so I'm excited to be here." Reds pitchers Rhett Lowder (25) and Chase Burns (81) have a conversation with a staff member during spring training in February. Burns, 22, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2024, is ranked the No. 1 prospect in the Reds organization, the No. 3 pitching prospect in baseball and the No. 11 prospect overall, according to MLB Pipeline. Advertisement Hopes and expectations with the Reds organization are that Burns will be an immediate, impact major-league player. While addressing reporters on the separate matter of parting with Jeimer Candelario, President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said he viewed the Burns call-up as a statement of intent to win. 'This is a statement of intent. Bringing Chase Burns is a statement of intent. We want to win games,' Krall said. 'We felt that these are the moves that give us the best chance to win games.' Burns made his own statement of intent on Monday, agreeing with the suggestion that he would use his first big-league stint to prove he wouldn't need more seasoning in the minors. The Cincinnati Reds selected right-handed pitcher Chase Burns from Wake Forest No. 2 overall in the 2024 MLB draft. "Yeah, 100%," Burns said. "I have no idea what they're gonna do with me. I haven't talked about it yet but I'm gonna give 100% effort, see how it goes from there." Advertisement Burns steamed through the Reds' minor league system, earning the call-up after just 13 appearances. His professional debut was April 4 for the Single-A Dayton Dragons. He'd log three appearances there (0-2, 3.09 ERA) before moving to Double-A Chattanooga. That's where the bulk of his minor league experience − eight appearances (6-1, 1.29 ERA) − occurred. It's not as though Burns was a finished product all the way through he brief tour of the minors. He just happened to pick things up quickly, and apply them successfully. For instance, he was encouraged to add a changeup to his arsenal in Chattanooga. "I hate throwing it sometimes but I think now it's been a plus-pitch," Burns said. "When I was in Double-A, they told me I needed to throw it more, so kind of just trusting it. Now, it's something that's effective against lefties." Chase Burns pitches for the Chattanooga Lookouts against the Knoxville Smokies. After Chattanooga, Burns was deemed ready for MLB action after two starts at Triple-A Louisville (1-0, 2.19 ERA). Advertisement "I talked about it a lot, wanting to move up quick and making an impact," Burns said. "When it actually happens, it's surreal. Just the other day, I felt like I was in Dayton making my first professional start." Is Burns ready? For the Yankees and the opponents that follow? "I guess we'll find out," he said. "Go out there, be healthy and help the team win." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Chase Burns discusses MLB for Reds vs. Yankees on June 24
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Are players signed for record-breaking transfer fees affected by the pressure of their price?
In 1979, Trevor Francis became Great Britain's first million-pound football player. Not that his new manager, the legendary Brian Clough, was always happy to admit it. Clough, then in charge of Nottingham Forest, and Jim Smith, his counterpart at Birmingham City, from where Francis moved, agreed to announce the fee as £999,999, even though more than a million quid actually changed hands. Advertisement The decision was meant to help Clough, the master psychologist, prick the ego of his new striker, but also to remove some of the pressure associated with such a landmark figure that would inevitably fall on Francis' shoulders. More than four decades later, it is little surprise that clubs often play down the fees they pay for players, with private briefings, nods and winks designed to keep the figures reported as low as they can get away with, or even left at 'undisclosed', keeping that potential pressure in mind. Step forward then, Florian Wirtz, the latest player to wear the heavy tag of Britain's most expensive footballer — well, possibly. If the add-on clauses included in his transfer are achieved, the additional £16million that goes from Liverpool to Germany's Bayer Leverkusen will make his move a record in the British game. For now, the £100million ($134.3m) guaranteed fee makes the 22-year-old Germany international forward Liverpool's record signing, and the club might well be pleased that Wirtz does not initially have to deal with the extra pressure that has weighed heavily on others. 'The beginning was tough for me,' said Moises Caicedo, the current British record signing — £115million from Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea in 2023 — told reporters during the latter's pre-season tour to the United States last summer. 'Because you are at a big club, the price, you always have to win every game.' The Ecuador international midfielder is not the first player to experience the pressure of record-transfer status. More than two decades earlier, in 2002, England centre-back Rio Ferdinand left Leeds United for Manchester United in a £29million deal that made him the country's most expensive player. 'The pressure it brings is immeasurable, it's huge,' Ferdinand said last year on his FIVE podcast. 'Anything you do, anywhere you walk… people don't even have to say anything to you, but subconsciously you feel that people are looking at you and thinking about and talking about the price. 'Wherever you go, whether it's to the local shop for a loaf of bread, whether it's filling your car up with petrol or walking down the road with your missus, you just think all eyes are on you and that all they're thinking about is the transfer fee and expectation. Advertisement 'Then you walk out onto the training pitch — expectations. You walk into the canteen at the training ground — expectations. Away grounds — expectations. Everybody's anticipating £100million worth, that big record performance, everywhere you go, people are expecting world-class, above-average-all-the-time, elite-always, beyond-your-wildest-dreams performances, whatever you do.' Over three decades, the size of the British transfer record has increased more than tenfold. In 1995, striker Stan Collymore's move from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool for £8.5million was the milestone deal raising eyebrows. Collymore's record for Liverpool was more than respectable — 26 goals in 61 Premier League appearances at a rate of 0.49 per 90 minutes — but he did not bring the spectacular results the club had hoped for and could not help them land the elusive Premier League title to break the dominance of Manchester United. More than 30 years later, Wirtz will not have that issue to contend with. He is joining a club already sitting at the top of the tree, having won the title last season, but there are still lessons that Collymore believes he, and Liverpool, can learn. 'I'd like to see very dampened-down messaging from the club — no pianos, like Alexis Sanchez, when he signed for Man United (from Arsenal in 2018),' Collymore said to 'If Liverpool do it like that, then he will settle much quicker than if he comes in as a superstar. If the club indulge that, and do what Manchester United have, to their cost, over many transfers, there could be a problem. 'I think Liverpool should, and will, help him. It all starts on the reveal. Manchester United made a rod for their own back with the likes of Sanchez and Paul Pogba, because it was kind of like embracing the galactico thing. There is a temptation with any club to say, 'We're champions of England and look who we can buy', but I think that is very anti-Liverpool. Advertisement 'It happened a bit when I signed. It was made a very big deal, instead of just getting me through the door and letting me settle in. Every good game, it was, 'The record transfer has scored'. Every bad game, it was, 'The record transfer hasn't played well'. And that gets in the way.' Wirtz's success or failure in terms of handling the pressure of that fee might be decided by his own mentality. Thirteen months after Collymore's switch to Anfield, Newcastle United blew his fee out of the water by paying £15million to bring local-lad striker Alan Shearer home from Blackburn Rovers, where he had scored the goals to help them clinch a Premier League title the previous year. That was a world-record transfer and, while Shearer could not help his hometown club lift a trophy, he did get 206 goals in all competitions over a decade to cement his place as the club's, and the Premier League's, record scorer. Perhaps it is easier said than done, but Shearer claims he simply never allowed the cost of his transfer to become a mental issue. 'The really funny thing is that I never felt that pressure,' Shearer wrote in his column for The Athletic in 2022. 'Not once. Not at all. 'You often hear or read about players being weighed down by their price tag after a move, about them struggling to live up to it, but although it did feel like a ridiculous, obscene amount of money for a club to spend on me (or on anybody), it wasn't a burden. It made me feel extremely proud, excited, special, 10 feet tall. Truth be told, I absolutely loved it. 'A scruffy little lad from Park Avenue in Gosforth, who couldn't wait to get home from school and put stones down on the street as makeshift goals and play with his pals was now the planet's most expensive footballer. Work that one out! 'To me, it was a dream, an amazing privilege. I felt honoured that someone was prepared to shell out that much cash for me, but it wasn't my cash. And if it was a gamble, then it wasn't mine. Advertisement 'I'd experienced something similar four years earlier, when I moved from Southampton to Blackburn for a domestic transfer record of £3.6million. That figure sounds so quaint now, doesn't it? It was Jack Walker's investment but he was paying for me to do what I'd always done, which was to go out and score goals, to do my stuff. 'The size of the fee wasn't my doing. All it did was make me feel more confident. I'm old enough to remember Trevor Francis joining Nottingham Forest in 1979 and becoming Britain's first £1million player, a figure that felt outlandish and impossible: 'My God. How much?!'' It is a sentiment that Clough possibly shared, so much so that he attempted to manipulate the narrative to both take the pressure off Francis and allow him to keep his new star grounded. 'Since February 1979, myth has surrounded the actual transfer figure paid by Forest and still does,' the late Francis wrote in his 2019 autobiography, One in a Million. 'There are two questions that I get regularly asked, 'What was it like playing for Clough?' and, 'Was the fee really £999,999?' 'That second question is still asked of me, and I guarantee that in the next few days someone will stop me and say, 'Clough didn't pay £1million for you'. The myth was created by Clough himself. In his usual flippant way, he knew that whatever he said would make headlines, so he created the idea that a £1m transfer fee might have a negative effect on me, therefore he had reduced it.' It seems unlikely that Arne Slot will go to such lengths to persuade the public that Wirtz cost Liverpool less than he did. But the testimony of many players suggests that record-transfer pressure is real. So do not expect Liverpool to shout about Wirtz's new-found status. (Top photo of Florian Wirtz: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
