Newcastle United have expressed an interest in signing Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher ahead of the January transfer window.
Caoimhin Kelleher, 26, has been Alisson Becker’s deputy for many years now at Anfield. He has impressed whenever called upon, and in Alisson’s injury absence this season, the Irishman performed admirably well. However, he is keen on regular game time and wants to leave the club to make progress in his career.
Liverpool are ready to sell the 26-year-old at the right price at the end of the season, having already agreed a £25million fee for Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is set to join up with the Reds next season. This will directly push Kelleher further down the goalkeeping pecking order because the Merseyside outfit view Mamardashvili as a future No.1.
As a result, Kelleher wants to bid farewell to Liverpool next month and Newcastle United are reportedly planning to bring him to St James’ Park.
Caoimhin Kelleher would be an upgrade on Nick Pope
Newcastle recruited Nick Pope from Burnley in the summer of 2022, and he has proven to be a solid if not spectacular goalkeeper. The Englishman has made 80 appearances for the Magpies thus far. He has been the club’s undisputed No.1 under Eddie Howe.
However, Pope has been ruled out for weeks with a knee ligament issue, leaving Howe to trust Martin Dubravka in the interim. Dubravka is an experienced goalkeeper and has done well in recent games, keeping three consecutive clean sheets, but if the Toon Army are to get better and challenge for honours, they need to bring a more rounded shot-stopper.
Kelleher, in that regard, would be an ideal fit at the club. The Cork-born glovesman has managed played 60 times for Liverpool, keeping 21 clean sheets while conceding 70 goals. That is an excellent record for someone who has been a backup to Alisson, and such impressive displays are the reason behind Newcastle’s interest in him.
The 26-year-old is more than capable of replacing Pope as Newcastle’s first-choice goalkeeper. Composed on the ball, solid distributor and a leader at the back, Kelleher would be an upgrade on Pope and help Howe’s side progress play from the back efficiently. The Republic of Ireland international is also a brilliant shot-stopper, as witnessed by his cat-like reflexes in the Liverpool goal.
The Magpies should have the finances to get a deal for Kelleher done in January. It will be interesting to see whether Liverpool allow their goalkeeper to leave in January as they are competing in all the tournaments under Arne Slot.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
