Caoimhin Kelleher will celebrate his 25th birthday this November. Across his entire Liverpool career, the Republic of Ireland international has played only 20 first-team games. Just four of those have come in the Premier League.
Then again, that is the life of a second-choice goalkeeper. That is what happens when you have arguably the best in your position anywhere on the planet – Alisson Becker – for competition.
Until now, Kelleher seemed quite content with his back-seat role. Stepping up impressively on the rare occasions Jurgen Klopp needs him. An outstanding performance against Ajax in the Champions League here, a winning penalty in the Carabao Cup final there.
But with Kelleher hurtling towards his mid-20s, and with Alisson as un-moveable as ever, the Cork-born glovesman appears to be getting itchy feet for the first time as a Liverpool player.
“I don’t mind watching but, obviously, I’d rather be playing,” Kelleher said earlier this year. “I just try to be as focused as I can be when I watch so I am ready if I am needed.
“We’ll just see what the season brings. And then, after that, we’ll see, we’ll see what happens. But I think at the moment, for now, I just have to be focused on trying to be ready for Liverpool.”
Is Kelleher leaving Liverpool this summer?
According to Fabrizio Romano, a whole host of clubs are willing to offer Kelleher the first-team football he craves. Due to his lack of consistent game time, no one appears quite sure whether Kelleher is a goalkeeper of genuine Premier League potential. Then again, some felt the same about Emiliano Martinez; the one-time Arsenal benchwarmer now a World Cup winner and the glove-wearing talisman of Aston Villa.
“He’s like a blonde version of Ali (Alisson),” Jurgen Klopp quipped in November.
“Caoimh is an outstanding goalie. A club like us, with all the games we have, needs a goalie of his quality, definitely.
“But if we have something to talk about (regarding his future), then I think it would make sense that we speak. It’s clear that he has the ambition to be a No. 1.”
When you factor this all in – Kelleher’s age, his increasing restlessness, Klopp indicating that he won’t stand in his way – reports from Belgium suggesting that Liverpool are keeping a close eye on Anderlecht’s Bart Verbruggen make just that little bit more sense.
The £15 million-rated Verbruggen is four years Kelleher’s junior. And, having only ousted Anderlecht captain Hendrick van Crombrugge at Christmas, he may be more open to the idea of spending a couple of seasons honing his talents alongside Alisson. Before potentially replacing the Brazilian as Liverpool’s number one.
‘He is ready for the Premier League’
“I would leave in the summer. He is only 20, but he is already ready for the Premier League,” Filip de Wilde, a seven-time Belgian league champion, tells Le Soir of Verbruggen, who recently enjoyed a run of six straight clean sheets and shone as Anderlecht reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League.
Verbruggen is being tipped to embark upon a fresh start and a new challenge. Kelleher, according to Ireland legend Robbie Keane, may benefit from doing the same.
“How long do you hold fire for? That’s his problem,” Keane argues.
“Is he good enough to play No.1 for a Premier League team? I definitely think he is from what I’ve seen of him. He looks calm, authoritative and he’s very good with his feet. The problem is you’ve got one of the best goalkeepers in the world in front of you.
“So what do you do? Only he can answer that. There will definitely come a stage in his career where he will want to go and play regular football.
“I would encourage any player to try and play as many games as you can.”
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