Mamardashvili v Alisson: Could there really be a battle to be Liverpool's No 1?

New York Times

3 days ago

It's rare that such an outpouring of emotion should follow the exit of a backup goalkeeper.
The understudy stopper is often a forlorn figure, a guy simply there to make up the numbers and occasionally cover in times of need.
Yet over the years, Caoimhin Kelleher has become much more than a bit-part player at Liverpool, which is why news of his £18million ($24.3m) move to Brentford yesterday has been met with an equal degree of sadness and celebration.
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This was a man, signed from Cork-based Ringmahon Rangers in 2015, who steadily became Ireland's standout goalkeeper and was clearly good enough to be an established No 1. He filled in admirably whenever Alisson was absent and earned the undisputed tag of the best backup goalkeeper in the Premier League.
If it wasn't for the continued brilliance of the Brazilian, then Kelleher's journey at Liverpool might have been different. Although he leaves highly decorated with five major medals, his contributions have been limited to just 25 Premier League starts in six seasons. For years, he's made it clear that he wants more.
Perhaps it was fitting that he played more of a role in winning the 2024-25 Premier League title. Liverpool's League Cup wins in 2022 and 2024 were made possible through Kelleher's vital contributions, but he watched on during the Champions League win in 2019 and in the latter stages of the FA Cup success in 2022, which are the other trophies he has won.
By playing 10 games at the back end of 2024 (three in the Champions League and seven in the Premier League) when Alisson sustained a hamstring injury that ruled him out for almost three months, Kelleher reminded those watching of his high standards.
His safe pair of hands helped build confidence when other clubs might have crumbled without their first-choice goalkeeper. In the 2-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid, it was Kelleher who pulled off multiple saves to keep a clean sheet, as well as denying Kylian Mbappe from the penalty spot.
Such was his importance to the team that some Liverpool fans even turned his mistake against Newcastle United in the league in December into a positive, quipping that without it — and the subsequent two dropped points in the 3-3 draw at St James's Park — the fixture schedule meant Liverpool would not have been able to win the league at Anfield in April.
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On a more serious note, there was an acceptance that as much as so many people wanted him to stay, Kelleher needed to play every week rather than every time Alisson was absent, and that leaving this summer was inevitable unless there was a significant change.
To earn £18million from a player who was heading into the final year of his contract also represents good business for Liverpool, especially as Giorgi Mamardashvili is already signed up as the next man in line.
Yet it's clear that Mamardashvili, signed from Valencia for £29million last summer (he then stayed at the Spanish club last season), will face the same issues, at least initially, in that Alisson remains the first choice for head coach Arne Slot.
Mamardashvili, who has sights on becoming the best goalkeeper in the world himself in the future, wants to play rather than sit on the sidelines and is awaiting an update from Liverpool on how often he is expected to be used next season.
Unless a decision is made to send him out on loan — a move that now looks unlikely — the 24-year-old will have to bide his time and try to work his way into the team. He has been learning English and preparing for life at Liverpool for some time and is confident about taking up his position in the first-team squad when he returns for pre-season training at the start of July.
Breaking up the best goalkeeping department in the country in this way carries an element of risk for Liverpool. Third-choice stopper, Vitezslav Jaros, is also likely to leave this summer as he seeks a loan move to a club within the top-five big leagues of Europe after a year watching from the sidelines. Harvey Davies, 21, will fill in as the third choice if Jaros does head out on loan.
But it is Mamardashvili who will be going head-to-head with Alisson for the No 1 spot. Liverpool believe Mamardashvili has the qualities to become the next starting goalkeeper and the long-term replacement for Alisson when he eventually moves on. There are also ongoing concerns over Alisson's injury record after he missed those two months with a hamstring problem in 2024-25.
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Last summer, sporting director Richard Hughes made the decision to keep three senior goalkeepers on board for that very reason and it paid dividends, with Jaros providing cover for Kelleher when he held the fort in November and December.
Now if Alisson sustains an injury, the pressure will fall on Mamardashvili to fill in, a highly rated and experienced international, but still one who is untested at Premier League level.
Liverpool signed him as a matter of urgency last summer. They had tracked him for months but, after his standout performances for Georgia at the European Championship last summer, the club felt they needed to act quickly with so many eyes watching.
Interest in Alisson from Saudi Arabia also fuelled the need for succession planning, just in case any pursuit turned into a formal process. It's understood that interest has cooled, and Alisson's contract still has one year left to run plus another 12-month option in the club's favour.
While Mamardashvili's form was not as impressive for Valencia this season as it had been for Georgia, he was part of a team struggling at the foot of the table for a large part of the season (they finished 12th in La Liga), which had a knock-on effect.
Playing at Premier League champions Liverpool, a team who face fewer shots at goal and have more possession, will suit his game. It is why he's earmarked as the club's man for the future.