Neil Jones has predicted that one Liverpool player will attract an abundance of transfer interest ahead of the summer, adding that the man in question could be facing a crossroads over his future.
In the absence of the injured Alisson Becker, Caoimhin Kelleher has stepped up commendably, delivering a heroic performance in the Carabao Cup final and posting a clean sheet in three consecutive games as the Reds’ quadruple charge remains on track.
The 25-year-old has had to be patient for regular opportunities at Anfield but has still been the subject of reported interest from the likes of Celtic, and the journalist believes that the Irishman’s recent displays will have put him in the shop window.
Speaking to EOTK Insider, Jones said of the goalkeeper: “The more games he plays, the more that clubs can get a gauge on where he’s at if they were looking to sign someone like him. It’s easy for Jurgen to say, ‘We’ve got this No.2 goalkeeper who’s brilliant’. Scouts, managers and sporting directors want to see them tested in significant games and on significant stages.
“This season we’ve seen Kelleher deliver, more often than not, in the Europa League, Premier League and Carabao Cup. I would be surprised if there weren’t a lot of clubs asking about him. I think there were a few in January and Liverpool rightly said no. I think there will be a few more in the summer and then it will come down to what the player wants to do.
“Jurgen was asked about him on Friday and said Liverpool have never had a situation where the player needs to shut up and stay put, but obviously, conversations have been had over how many games he might play. Clearly there is a degree of dialogue from Kelleher’s side about game-time and that might be one that comes to a head in the summer.”
Kelleher’s future has long been a talking point among Liverpool fans – do the Reds retain a goalkeeper who’s proven to be more reliable than some first-choice stoppers we’ve had in previous years, or should they seek to cash in on an asset who could reap a tidy sum?
The 25-year-old’s valuation will certainly have shot up following his recent performances, and it’s far from unthinkable that LFC could bank as much as £30m if they were to let him join another club to become their undisputed number one.
Ultimately it’ll likely boil down to whether the player himself is happy to stay put and keep pushing Alisson, or seek to establish himself elsewhere in the realisation that displacing the Brazilian on a long-term basis could be an impossible task.
It’s very hard to predict what Kelleher will do, but what doesn’t seem in any doubt is that he’d have a lengthy queue of prospective suitors vying for his services if Liverpool were to put him up for sale in the summer.
Should that scenario arise, Anfield chiefs must extract every penny possible if they’re to part with a player who’d walk into almost every Premier League team and has been mightily unfortunate to find himself at LFC at the same time as perhaps the world’s best goalkeeper.
Time for Keheher to be our No 1 or we will lose him.Allison has been great cash in on him while his stock is still relatively still high. Brutal but honest YNWA.