Caoimhin Kelleher reveals painful reality of playing well for Liverpool in Alisson absence

Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher believes his impressive performances last season may have made him too expensive to leave Anfield.

The Irish goalkeeper was exceptional in the 26 games he played for Jurgen Klopp’s team, standing in for Alisson Becker – and with the Brazilian once again out due to a hamstring injury, he now has the opportunity to prove to new boss Arne Slot that he’s one of the best back-ups in the game.

Kelleher openly admits that he wanted to leave Liverpool in the summer, but the financials didn’t work out.

However, he is eager to seize this latest chance.

Kelleher will be in goal when Liverpool take on Chelsea. He said: “Obviously my intention is to do as well as I can and show my ability.

“That is where my head is at with the situation. The best thing I can do is go and play well and maybe give the manager something to think about, give him a headache.

“But it does work both ways. I played so many times last season – and if you do well your valuation goes up because obviously the club is going to want a good profit.

“I was clear (in the summer) that I wanted to play first-team football, whether that was here or elsewhere. I wanted to be a No 1.

“That was my thought process – but it’s always been my thought process because obviously I am a football player and like every player, I want to play.

“I’m not going to enjoy myself or be happy sitting on the bench,” said Kelleher, who was courted by Nottingham Forest for a loan deal. Despite Liverpool agreeing to a £30million transfer of Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia, the Georgian keeper will remain in Spain until next season.”

Kelleher is aware that Alisson’s recent fitness issues put him back in the spotlight. He stated: “It comes hand in hand that when you play for a club like Liverpool then other teams will be interested in you.[“

Kelleher continued: “I spoke with the manager about the situation. But I was quite clear before he came in – and it was never going to change because the fact is that I am up against Alisson and he’s one of the best in the world. He’s always going to be No 1 and he’s always going to play.

He also mentioned other factors such as negotiations with clubs and Liverpool’s satisfaction with the deal. “At the end of the day, it just didn’t materialise.”

However, Kelleher doesn’t see this as a setback. “]But it’s not the worst thing in the world to stay at a club like Liverpool. You get opportunities to play because we’re in so many competitions as well. This isn’t the end of the world.”

The goalkeeper has fond memories of playing against Chelsea, including scoring the winning penalty in the tense 2022 Carabao Cup Final shoot-out and a standout performance in last season’s final where Virgil van Dijk’s late header secured the trophy.

Kelleher stated: “It’s been brilliant every time I’ve played them, to be fair. Two finals, happy memories – and hopefully there will be more.

“Obviously the penalty shoot-out is the main one, but last season was even more enjoyable the way it went with the young lads from the academy coming on. That was special for everyone, backs against the wall and winning in extra time.

“The first final was the first time I had been in the limelight. It was a good start for my career!

“I have been professional because if I’m not ready I am not doing myself justice. I need to give myself the best chance to play as well as I can.

“There have been no conversations about the future. That’s for next summer and I’m not thinking about that right now.”