One commodity that Caoimhin Kelleher certainly doesn’t lack is patience.
The Irish goalkeeper has bided his time at Liverpool for several years, proving himself to be a reliable figure when called upon but left reliant on Alisson Becker being unavailable in order to get his chance in the team.
The 25-year-old stepped up commendably to make 26 appearances in all competitions last season, and he now looks set for another extended run of starts after the Brazilian suffered a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace on Saturday which looks set to sideline him for a few weeks.
Much like users of sweepstakes casinos, Liverpool could’ve gambled on selling Kelleher during the summer, especially when he’d voiced his desire to establish himself as a regular starter at this stage of his career. Thankfully, the hierarchy held their nerve and didn’t cash in on the Reds’ number 62.
Liverpool rejected a late offer for Kelleher in August
There had been a concrete offer made for the Republic of Ireland international in August as Nottingham Forest tried their luck in the closing days of the transfer window.
However, a derisory proposal of £7m plus Matt Turner was rightly sent back with a firm message of ‘not happening’. Quite how the Midlands club thought that’d be enough to secure a player who Liverpool value at £30m (The Athletic) beggars belief.
With Giorgi Mamardashvili arriving at Anfield next summer, it seems more than likely that this’ll be Kelleher’s fnal season with the Reds, but Arne Slot will be heaving a sigh of relief that the Cork native is still in L4.
Kelleher has come to Liverpool’s rescue before
The 25-year-old is no stranger to deputising for Alisson when needed, having done so during the first few months of 2024 when the Brazilian had another hamstring injury.
No Liverpool fan who watched the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea in February will forget the Irishman’s heroic performance at Wembley that evening, thwarting the Blues with a series of excellent saves.
There was a certain irony to him missing out when the Reds’ first-choice ‘keeper got injured at Selhurst Park, when Kelleher was absent due to illness, although Vitezslav Jaros did what he needed to for his team in the closing minutes against Palace.
Our number 62 knows that he’s good enough to be a regular starter at a Premier League club, a sentiment with which the majority of LFC fans would surely agree, so it seems only a matter of time before he departs in search of a fresh challenge.
For now, though, we can be grateful that he’s still on hand for Liverpool in their hour of need.
