Caoimhin Kelleher leaves Liverpool as a two-time Premier League winner, and on the back of a campaign that proved why he’s backing himself as a No. 1.
It will have been with reluctance that Liverpool opened negotiations with Brentford over a deal for their long-time backup goalkeeper.
In reality the word ‘backup’ does no suffice for Kelleher, who has played 20 of the last 76 Premier League games (26.3%) with 46 appearances in all competitions over the past two seasons.
The Irishman joins Brentford having raised the bar for a No. 2 goalkeeper, setting high standards for his successor, Giorgi Mamardashvili.
That Liverpool have granted his £18 million exit has raised eyebrows among some, but it is a deal which suits all parties and Kelleher should depart with the best wishes of supporters.
CAOIMHIN KELLEHER – LIVERPOOL STATS
Started: 67 (All competitions)On as a substitute: 0Unused sub: 187Clean sheets: 24
A season that summed Kelleher up
Kelleher leaves after another season which proved his stature is above that of a second choice: in all competitions the 26-year-old played 20 times, keeping nine clean sheets – including three shutouts in four in the Champions League.
Those three clean sheets in the Champions League came against RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid – not exactly minnows – and he denied Kylian Mbappe from the penalty spot in the 2-0 win over the latter.
And with Alisson sidelined he was called upon for seven consecutive starts in the Premier League that saw Liverpool go unbeaten, with victories over Chelsea, Brighton, Aston Villa, Southampton and Man City.
It continued a trend Liverpool fans have become familiar with as Kelleher offered as little a drop-off in quality and playing style as possible from their established No. 1.
Given Alisson is the best in the world in their position that is an outstanding reputation for the Republic of Ireland international to uphold.
Order is always restored when Alisson is fit, of course, and the final game of that stretch of league starts perhaps showed why neither Jurgen Klopp or Arne Slot ever saw it as a closer rivalry.
Allowing a lofted ball to sail over him, seemingly expecting it to go out for a goal kick, Kelleher unwittingly opened himself up to concede a last-minute equaliser as Fabian Schar earned Newcastle a 3-3 draw at St James’ Park.
It was a moment which could have proved costly as Liverpool bid for the title, and it showed the ceiling he had reached as a second choice.
From No. 2 to No. 1
While it is often to Kelleher’s credit that he was able to step in so assuredly on the frequent occasions Alisson found himself on the treatment table, there is a fine line between that confidence and aloofness.
The likelihood is that a guarantee of a first-choice role will allow Kelleher to consistently strike that balance – and if so, Brentford have acquired a potentially elite-level goalkeeper for an impressively low fee.
That will be the hope of those at the Gtech, who have a stellar track record for recruitment and a head coach with a proven ability to develop talent.
Even at his current level – which saw Klopp describe him as “the best No. 2 goalie in the world” – it could be argued that Kelleher is an improvement on his predecessor, Bayer Leverkusen-bound Mark Flekken.
But it is that upside, for a goalkeeper who has accrued 67 games’ experience over six years as a backup at Liverpool, which could mark this as one of the standout deals of the summer.
For Liverpool themselves, the decision to permit Kelleher to leave at the very start of the transfer window rather than wait it out and prompt a bidding war resembles a gesture of gratitude towards a player who last summer sacrificed his ambitions of being a No. 1.
Joining Brentford before the start of pre-season will give him time to find his bearings in west London and make an impression early on in preparations for the 2025/26 campaign.
Why Liverpool accepted £18m for Kelleher
It has been argued that £18 million is too low a fee for a player of Kelleher’s calibre – and the club were reported to value him at upwards of £20 million – but there are a number of factors to consider there.
Firstly, Kelleher was set to enter the final year of his contract at the end of June, meaning Liverpool would have had less power in negotiations.
And perhaps most importantly, any fee brought in for a player considered to have come through the academy will represent pure profit when it comes to the Premier League‘s profitability and sustainability rules, therefore increasing their ability to spend.
With a busy summer ahead, that Liverpool were able to agree deals worth a combined £26.4 million for two academy graduates in Kelleher and Trent Alexander-Arnold as the window opened not only boosts their spending power now, but also for years to come.
Having agreed to sign Mamardashvili from Valencia just under a year ago, his replacement is already lined up – while there is clearly still no moving Alisson from the No. 1 role and Vitezslav Jaros provides another readymade option.
It is a situation which suits all parties, then, with the only sticking point being the affection Kelleher holds among the Liverpool support.
He is by far and away the best No. 2 the club has had, at least in the Premier League era, and is arguably one of the best outright.
But with Alisson firmly – and rightly – cemented as No. 1 and a potentially world-class replacement arriving in Mamardashvili, now is the right time to allow Kelleher to depart and prove himself as first choice.
Those memories of Carabao Cup heroics, and penalties saved and scored, will linger on the Kop whenever he returns with his new club.
