Liverpool didn’t do a huge amount of business during the summer window but . As significant as could be in the future, though, it is a man who ended up staying at Anfield who could be far more important in the short term.
and that means more work has become available for . Illness prevented Kelleher from coming on against Crystal Palace, leading to a debut for Viteszlav Jaros, but once the Irishman returns, he is seemingly set for another run in the Liverpool side. It’s a role he should now be used to.
"I made it clear in the last few years that I want to go somewhere and be a number one," Kelleher said during the last international break. "It's been reported that had rejected a few bids, as well. Like I said, it's not always in my hands to fully make that decision. My ambition is clear."
Playing regularly for Liverpool, though, is no bad thing, even though it is never guaranteed. And once again, that is a chance that Kelleher is set to be afforded. Alisson limped through the mixed zone and didn’t know exactly how long he was going to be out but it didn’t look good. It seems impossible for him to join up with his national team from here.
"What we do know is if somebody walks off the pitch like that, I don't expect him to see him in the Brazil squad or playing the first game back after the international break," Slot said during his post-match press conference. "The injury doesn't look good," had already said while speaking to television. "It looks like a hamstring injury which was already bothering him, and from which he recovered."
With league matches against Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as crucial ones in the against Bundesliga duo RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen, just around the corner, Kelleher is set to be thrown into the limelight again. And it isn’t a huge shock given Alisson’s record. The Brazilian is undoubtedly more injury-prone than most other goalkeepers.
That explains why it made sense to get Mamardashvili signed up in the summer and also why it is vital that Liverpool always has a top-drawer second choice. There was no chance the Reds would have sold Kelleher on the cheap last summer — and we’ve seen twice this season why.
Alisson will soon have missed two periods through injury before the November international break. Kelleher wants minutes and it seems he is about to get them in some big games.
