John Achterberg has admitted that Liverpool took a substantial ‘gamble’ on one player who was ‘technically not very good’ at the time of his arrival at Anfield.
The 52-year-old goalkeeping coach ended his 15-year association with the Reds when the 2023/24 season ended last weekend, and he’ll now reunite with Steven Gerrard as part of the ex-LFC skipper’s backroom staff at Al-Ettifaq.
In an interview with liverpoolfc.com, the Dutchman reflected upon how much Caoimhin Kelleher has evolved since first coming to the club as a 16-year-old in the summer of 2015.
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Achterberg said: “Ali [Alisson Becker] is probably the best in the world, I would say, and what Kelleher shows is a massive level as well. He is showing the same high level.
“Kelleher is unreal. When we signed him when he was 16, he was agile but technically not very good. He was not tall either, so you take a bit of a gamble. The development of that man has been unbelievable and how he has improved. Obviously the goalie coaches in the Academy worked with him as well.”
The difference between the ages of 16 and 25 for a footballer is very pronounced, and Liverpool fans have been fortunate to witness Kelleher’s phenomenal development throughout his nine years at Anfield.
The Irishman has had to be very patient for first-team opportunities due to the consistent brilliance of Alisson, but when his big chance came during the recently concluded season after the number 1’s lengthy injury layoff, he made the most of it.
The 25-year-old’s saves ensured that the Reds won a second Carabao Cup in three years against Chelsea at Wembley, and if he does move on this summer in pursuit of becoming an undisputed first-choice elsewhere, he’ll surely have no shortage of suitors.
Kelleher’s rise is a case study for showing faith in players over the long-term, rather than frivolously tossing them aside just because they don’t become world-class overnight, and he may have been jettisoned long ago had he been at a different Premier League club.
Thankfully Liverpool stuck with him and, with the help of Achterberg and the Reds’ goalkeeping staff, he’s blossomed into a netminder who looks very comfortable at an elite level.