Liverpool Transfer News: The Mamardashvili stats that should worry supporters

This is a crucial summer for Liverpool. The Reds are yet to make a signing in the off-season, the only Premier League side to do so, yet that is set to change before next week's deadline. Liverpool are closing in on the signing of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia, with the 23-year-old expected to remain in Spain for the season. 

While goalkeeper isn't a problem position for Liverpool - Alisson has the number one spot sewn up and Caoimhin Kelleher proved a more than adequate stand in during the former's stints on the sidelines - the Merseyside outfit could ill-afford to pass up the chance to sign a goalkeeper of Mamardashvili's calibre as they look to the future. 

There are more pressing concerns, notably in signing a new number six and extending the contracts of key defensive trio Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold but with the likes of Newcastle and Chelsea previously linked with a move for the goalkeeper; Liverpool were reluctant to pass up the opportunity to beat off rivals for the youngster. 

Mamardashvili was one of the stars of Euro 2024, returning a WhoScored rating of 7.76 as Georgia exceeded expectations to make the last-16 in their first ever international tournament. Key to their progression was the young shotstopper, who made more saves (30) than any other goalkeeper in Germany. Mamardashvili's showings over the summer increased the likelihood of a high-profile move with Liverpool winning the race to secure his services. 

In terms of keeping the ball out of the net, Mamardashvili is up there with the best in Europe, this was evident at the Euros. It's not the goalkeeper's shotstopping ability that has come in for questioning, however. Rather it is Mamardashvili's distribution that is a concern for Liverpool, who eye the Georgian as a successor for Alisson. 

The Reds, after all, ranked third for possession (61.3%) in the Premier League last season, while they had 62.2% possession in their season opener against Ipswich at the weekend. Even with a change of manager, Liverpool are expected to dominate opponents in 2024/25, which means Arne Slot needs his goalkeeper to be as effective with his feet as he is his hands. Fortunately for Liverpool, Alisson is one of the better ball-playing shotstoppers in the division. 

Since the start of last season, the Brazilian has returned a pass success rate of 85.1% from 36 passes per 90. By comparison, Mamardashvili has found a teammate with 47.1% of his 26.6 passes per 90. Both Liverpool and Valencia implement different styles of play but the huge drop in both metrics is a worry for the Reds. 

When it comes to finding a teammate from range, Alisson again trumps Mamardashvili since the start of last season returning a long ball success rate 38%, a significant rise in the latter's 29.4%. With Slot unlikely to tinker with his approach to accomodate Mamardashvili, it'll be down to the goalkeeper to improve his distribution if Liverpool are to continue to dominate opponents. 

Of course, at his age combined with the longevity of goalkeepers, it's a weakness to Mamardashvili's game that can be improved upon but it's undeniably a concern for supporters that the successor for Alisson does struggle with picking out a teammate, and is perhaps one of the main reasons why a high-profile move is yet to come to fruition. After all, goalkeepers are far more involved with the ball at their feet in the modern game than in bygone years. 

The most important quality for any goalkeeper remains their ability to keep the ball out of the net but with greater focus on distribution and acting as an 11th outfielder, the latter side to Mamardashvili's game is an area in need of improvement.