Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher receives praise for his penalty shootout heroics against Derby County
Liverpool back-up keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has received from Neil Warnock, who while speaking to BBC Sport, praised the player for his heroics against Derby County which resulted in the keeper breaking a club record, being the first keeper to save four penalty shootouts for Liverpool.
“He’s just got such a calm demeanour about him. He never looks like he’s under pressure, he never really shows any real emotion but he did on that third penalty save.
He realised how big a save that was for his team. He’s always a confident and assured goalkeeper.”
Kelleher has always been regarded as a very talented goalkeeper but the presence of Alisson as the first-choice keeper has prevented the keeper from truly making his mark.
He was instrumental in our Carabao Cup win last summer which was won through a penalty shootout and although opportunities have to be limited, whenever he has been given a chance the shot-stopper has shown he is more than capable of being an able deputy.
It is undisputed that Alisson is one of the best keepers in the top leagues and it is comprehensibly tough to take the Brazilian out of the first eleven.
However, Kelleher at 23 years of age has all the time in the world to show the world his capabilities and also learn the skills of the game from one of the best around.
It would do a world of confidence for the Northern Ireland keeper on breaking a club record after winning the fourth penalty shootout of his career, a feat achieved by no Liverpool goalkeeper before.
It is easy to understand why Kelleher would want more game time taking into account the impact made by the player on occasions he has represented the club and Klopp would be wary of that.
Appearances only in minimal games would add further to detriment the behaviour of the player towards continuing his journey at Anfield but time will tell whether the manager has a plan for him to shift from the second fiddle to the first team.
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For now, it is rather difficult to determine whether the keeper would be a ready-made replacement for Alisson or would look for pastures abroad with the keeper on a long-term contract (Transfermarkt) which expires in 2026.
