Liverpool ace will seek summer exit despite playing more minutes than Robertson this term – report
One Liverpool player could seek to cut his ties with the club this summer, according to reports which have emerged.
Football Insider claimed that Caoimhin Kelleher is planning to push for a move away from Anfield over the next few months as he seeks to become an undisputed first-choice at another club, having never quite managed to do so for the Reds.
Despite seeing plenty of minutes this season as he deputised for the injured Alisson Becker, the Irishman has conceded that he’s unlikely to ever unseat the 31-year-old permanently.
Liverpool value the Cork native at £20m-£22m, with his current contract having two more years to run.
On one level, it seems paradoxical that Kelleher would push for an exit despite seeing more senior game-time this season than in any previous campaign for Liverpool, having made 26 appearances totalling 2,400 minutes (Transfermarkt).
He actually had more time on the pitch during 2023/24 than established first-team players such as Andy Robertson (2,193 minutes) and Diogo Jota (1,710 minutes), although that duo had their involvement heavily curtailed by lengthy injuries.
The 25-year-old immediately reverted to the substitutes’ bench for the defeat to Crystal Palace last month once Alisson had returned from his two-month layoff, a telltale sign of where Jurgen Klopp saw him in the goalkeeping pecking order.
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Kelleher is no longer an up-and-coming prospect who can afford to think long-term, and having proven this season in particular that he’s good enough to play regularly at a high level, it’s understandable that he wants a more prolonged taste of game-time, rather than being left dependent on setbacks to others.
Given how he played earlier this year, the Irishman should have no shortage of suitors if indeed he’s ready to end his long association with Liverpool, and although he’d be a considerable loss to the squad that Arne Slot inherits, it’s hard to begrudge him a move to somewhere that he’d be an emphatic first choice.
If this is the summer that the Cork native departs Anfield, we best hope that Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes have someone every bit as good as him ready to come in, although recent links with goalkeeping options would suggest that they’re breaced for a potential Kelleher exit.
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