Liverpool have a goalkeeping problem. Not a bad one — a really good one — but a problem that coach Arne Slot must solve nonetheless.
Slot has arguably the world’s best goalkeeper in his squad in Alisson Becker, and second-choice keeper Caoimhín Kelleher is regarded by many — alongside Manchester City‘s Stefan Ortega — as the best understudy in the Premier League and perhaps the ideal long-term successor to Alisson.
But with Liverpool still on course for success in the Premier League, Carabao Cup and UEFA Champions League this season, it has almost been forgotten that one of Alisson or Kelleher is likely to leave this summer to make way for Slot’s first major signing as coach, Valencia keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The six-foot-six Georgia international, one of the breakout stars at Euro 2024 as his country reached the round of 16, sealed a £29 million transfer last August before immediately being loaned back to Valencia for the duration of this season. But when he arrives at Anfield this summer, who will Mamardashvili be competing with for the No. 1 shirt? And will the 24-year-old be content to sit on the bench having waited a year to make his big move to the club?
With fallen giants Valencia battling against relegation, Mamardashvili has at least been kept busy during his 23 LaLiga appearances this season, keeping five clean sheets and conceding 39 goals from 94 shots faced — a save percentage of 58.1%. Alisson, by contrast, has underlined his status as the world’s best by conceding just 18 goals in 21 Premier League games for Liverpool this season from 64 shots faced — a save percentage of 73.5%. Kelleher has only made eight Premier League appearances, but his record of nine goals conceded from 33 shots faced puts him close to Alisson’s figures with a save percentage of 72.7%.
Mamardashvili has had a difficult season in a struggling team and, after making a mistake which led to a goal during Saturday’s 2-1 win against bottom team Real Valladolid (stream a replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.), he issued a statement on his Instagram account to admit his poor form this season.
“I know I’m not in my best moment now,” Mamardashvili said in his post. “But I’m convinced that challenges make us stronger. I’m putting in my best effort to be the best version of me as soon as possible.”
While Mamardashvili is searching for form, perhaps distracted by the prospect of his summer move to Liverpool, Alisson has been outstanding. Thanks to the Brazil international’s performance last week at Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie, Liverpool go into Tuesday’s second leg at Anfield holding a 1-0 advantage against the Ligue 1 leaders.
It was one of the most incredible individual performances in Champions League history by a goalkeeper. Alisson’s nine saves against PSG were the most by a Liverpool keeper in a Champions League game since Opta began recording data in 2003-04.
But the dilemma facing Slot and Liverpool is whether to stick with Alisson as their undisputed first-choice and offload the 26-year-old Kelleher this summer; or to play the long game, as Liverpool have done so successfully in recent years, by instead moving Alisson before they have to address the 32-year-old’s contractual situation during the next 12 months.
Alisson is under contract until the end of next season, but Liverpool hold the option of extending that deal for a further year to June 2027. The former AS Roma player, who became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when he completed a £66.8m move to Anfield in July 2018, will only be 34 at the end of the 2026-27 season, so triggering his contract option seems an obvious decision.
But if Liverpool retain Alisson this summer, as seems certain, it would confirm Kelleher’s exit, with the Republic of Ireland international, whose contract expires in 2026, telling reporters last September that he wanted to play regular first-team football.
“I’ve made it clear in the last few years that I want to go and be a No. 1 and play week in, week out,” Kelleher said. “The club’s made that decision to get another goalkeeper and from the outside looking in, it looks like they’ve made a decision to go in a different direction.
“Sometimes from the outside looking in, it looks like that’s 100% my decision [to leave] but at times it’s not always in my hands. My ambition is clear that I think I’m good enough and I want to go out and prove it.”
A year ago, when Liverpool sealed a deal for Mamardashvili, Alisson had been the subject of interest from Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, with the player saying at the time: “When you hear about the numbers other players are getting for playing in Saudi, you are a little bit attracted, that is normal, but it never got to the point where I was talking about wages.”
He added: “I have a contract with Liverpool and I want to finish it, or make a new one. If it’s in the interest of the club to negotiate me with another club, then it will be a different conversation. I’m open [to Saudi Arabia], but not at present.”
But if Saudi interest re-emerges this summer, Liverpool would have a serious decision to make — especially after allowing Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold to enter the final six months of their contracts at the same time this season.
Liverpool can’t afford to make the same mistake with Alisson, especially if playing the waiting game has the knock-on effect of forcing Kelleher to move on. Mamardashvili, meanwhile, is the forgotten man who could be anything at Liverpool next season — first-choice, bench-warmer or loaned out again — if the club fail to be decisive with Alisson and Kelleher.
But as for Slot, he just needs to decide between three outstanding goalkeepers, which isn’t a bad position to be in.
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