Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has a selection headache at goalkeeper these days. Does he go with the experienced Robert Sanchez who is capable of making spectacular stops but makes mental mistakes, or does he go with young Filip Jörgensen who has less than 100 senior club appearances to his name?
In a summer where they signed a few goalkeepers and sent a potential starter in Djordje Petrovic on loan to get experience, there may be a more elegant and simple solution at a rival Premier League club. Caoimhin Kelleher is the 26-year old backup for Liverpool and he has done an excellent job when called up in place of Brazilian star Alisson Becker.
Kelleher has been with Liverpool since 2019 and has made 64 appearances for the Reds, so he is technically less experienced than Jorgenson, but he has been incredible in some high profile matches. The most notable for Chelsea fans is the 2022 EFL League Cup Final as he made several big time saves to keep a potent Blues attack at bay and scored the decisive penalty in the shootout to give Liverpool yet another domestic trophy.
The Irish keeper has reportedly been agitating for more playing time and it’s understandable that he has been unable to unseat Alisson who many consider to be the best keeper in the world. His fight for playing time next season will be even harder if he stays at Liverpool as they have signed Georgian keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili who will join the club in the summer.
Mamardashvili has been lighting it up at Valencia since arriving in 2021 and he was on the shortlist for the Yashin Trophy, given to the best keeper in world football, after the 2023 season. The Reds see him as the long term replacement for Becker as the Brazilian is 32 and has been dealing with injuries more often with each passing season.
Kelleher has one more year deal left on his contract with Liverpool and according to Transfermarkt he is valued at €22 million. Liverpool may not want to sell him to a Premier League rival but they could be convinced to do it to move on from a player that is agitating for more minutes and will definitely be leaving the following summer. This could be smart and simple business for both parties to get the most out of the situation.