Liverpool vs Chelsea: Why the next month will make or break Caoimhin Kelleher's Liverpool career

 

The next month is probably make or break for Caoimhin Kelleher at Liverpool. The soon-to-be 26-year-old has been fairly vocal over recent years about his desire to be a first-choice goalkeeper.  

 

He’s always filled in well for the Reds whenever Alisson has missed games but he’s never done enough to usurp one of the best goalkeepers in the world to claim a spot in Liverpool’s starting XI.

 

 

Richard Hughes futureproofed the goalkeeping position at Anfield this summer by signing Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia. The shot-stopper is going to remain in Spain for the season before moving to Merseyside at the end of the current campaign. He’ll then be in direct competition with Alisson for a place in Arne Slot’s plans. And the Georgian keeper isn’t deterred by the fact he’s rivalling one of the best goalkeepers in recent history for minutes.   

 

"I was attracted by Liverpool's project when the club's representatives met me to sign me. I will fight for the starting goalkeeper position even if the current goalkeeper does not leave the team." 

 

He’s made his intentions clear. He’s not joining Liverpool to sit on the bench.  

 

This move, in the eyes of many, all but ended Kelleher’s career at Anfield. He’d fill in for the current campaign before being moved on at the end of the season. After all, with his deal up in 2026, it would be the last time the Reds could cash in on the Republic of Ireland international.  

 

It would be a season of going through the motions for the 2022 Carabao Cup final hero.  

 

But the latest injury to Alisson might’ve changed things.  

 

With the Brazilian expected to be out until after the November international break, it gives Kelleher an opportunity in the first-team in what is set to be Liverpool’s toughest run of the campaign.  

 

Between now and the next international break, Liverpool face Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bayer Leverkusen and Brighton in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup. This period could make or break the campaign.  

 

By the end of it, we’ll know if there’s still a chance that the Reds can retain their Carabao Cup. We’ll know if they’re serious title contenders. We’ll know how their Champions League campaign is shaping up. 

 

With so much at stake, there’s an opportunity for Kelleher. If he impresses and shows he can perform at the top level in high-pressure games, there’s a chance that Slot could view him as a serious contender to eventually succeed Alisson. And he could be the one rivalling Mamardashvili for a place in the starting XI next term.  

 

 

There are no guarantees that Alisson calls time on his Liverpool career this summer but would it be a huge surprise if he did? He’s partial to a stint on the sidelines with a hamstring issue. These injury issues make him unreliable, the complete opposite of what you want from your number one. 

 

Maybe he wants to wind down elsewhere. Maybe Slot wants a shot-stopper who doesn’t pick up so many hamstring issues. It is a possibility, isn’t it? If this is the case, it could change Kelleher’s future. Because while he might not be able to compete with Alisson for a start, why can’t compete with Mamardashvili?  

 

The Republic of Ireland international is a good shot-stopper. He is deceptively good with the ball at his feet. He’s well-matched to the Slot system.  

 

In his only Premier League appearance this season, he kept a clean sheet in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth. He made seven saves against the Cherries and earned himself a WhoScored rating of 8.11. Alisson’s highest WhoScored rating of the season is just 7.86. He’s the second best rated goalkeeper since the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season with a WhoScored rating of 6.91. 

 

Kelleher also won the Player of the Match award for the Republic of Ireland in their recent defeat to Greece. He made an error for the second goal in the 87th minute but without him between the sticks, it would’ve been a much heavier loss for Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men.  

 

 

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And all keepers make mistakes when they’re tasked with playing out from the back. Republic of Ireland international Troy Parrott leaped to Kelleher’s defence afterwards, saying: "It’s frustrating for all of us, there is nothing we can do. Everyone makes mistakes, Caoimh doesn’t make many. Everyone in the dressing room is behind him, but I don’t think he needs it because he’s strong enough mentally to deal with it." 

 

This is a big opportunity for Kelleher to essentially save his Liverpool career, starting with Sunday’s welcome of Chelsea. His best rated performance in a Liverpool shirt came in the 2023/24 Carabao Cup final against the Blues, where he returned a WhoScored rating of 8.55 last February. If he keeps on performing to a high level and doesn’t let mistakes impact his game, there’s no reason he can’t jump ahead of Mamardashvili in the pecking order.

Liverpool vs Chelsea: Why the next month will make or break Caoimhin Kelleher's Liverpool career