LIVERPOOL goalkeeping legend Bruce Grobbelaar believes that Caoimhin Kelleher might have to leave the club – before returning as the number one at Anfield.
Grobbelaar said that the 25-year-old might have to go out on loan or even be sold with a buy-back option for the Reds as Brazilian Alisson Becker is likely to remain first choice for Liverpool.
“We’ve got a beautiful goalkeeper in Caoimhin Kelleher,” said Grobbelaar. “When the manager comes out and says ‘We’ve got the best goalkeeper in the world and the second best here’ – talking about Caoimhin – that is a great accolade.
“From an Irish point of view, they’d rather have him playing more games. We are playing him in some of the cup games…
“If there was a little thing that you could do to make him much better than he is, it’s to give him games. Maybe Liverpool could put him out on loan, or sell him to a club with a buy-back clause – Celtic has been mentioned.
“If Alisson stays then he [Kelleher] is getting game-time, and as soon as Alisson leaves use the buy-back and he comes straight back. That’s how I’d look at it because he’s such a fantastic goalkeeper.”
Liverpool should appoint former Chelsea boss to succeed Klopp: Grobbelaar
There’s huge uncertainty around Liverpool this year with manager Jurgen Klopp set to leave in the summer but Grobbelaar is unsure if that will affect Alisson:
“We don’t know. The boss has given his hand at this stage of the season. Most of us look at that with a heavy heart, but in the past managers have told the club that they are going and you have to get over it. That’s the evolution of football.”
Grobbelaar himself signed for the Reds in 1981 as back-up to Ray Clemence, who’d been at Anfield for a decade – but then didn’t stay much longer:
“My role then was very different. I was signed for a lot of money and I couldn’t get it into my head why they would pay so much when they had the best goalkeeper in England and one I admired so much.
“It was worrying that I was going to stay in the shadow – but then Ray Clemence left and I was thrown in at the deep end.
“”I don’t envisage Alisson is going to do that. Caoimhin has actually played quite a number of games, and played very well. We wait and see, with bated breath, what happens with the new person coming in and what the goalkeeping situation will be.”
# Grobbelaar was speaking in association with Carlsberg 0.0 ahead of this week’s meeting of Liverpool and Chelsea, the fixture that has produced the most 0-0 draws in Premier League history.
