Caoimhín Kelleher GK Brentford b.1998

[Jolly Red Giant]

Like everyone else - goalkeepers can have an off day - and their job is made significantly worse when the rest of the team is playing absolute rubbish. The key thing for a keeper is that it doesn't become a habit.

Off the top of my head the only keeper I remember it being said about never having an off day was Pat Jennings.

[joey B]

Drops to the bench today with Allison fit again…

[seanfhear]

Drops to the bench today with Allison fit again…Starting that sentence with " Drops " was a bit of a frightener !

[Eirambler]

That's almost certainly the end of Kelleher's club season in terms of actually playing games, but it has been a good one overall. Imperative now from an Irish perspective in light of Bazunu's injury that he moves to get regular first team football next season.

[Jd2793]

big summer of change at liverpool should be as good reason as ever for him to find first team football somwhere. id be shocked if he didnt move.

[JR89]

Unfortunately think this takes pressure off him to move. Whoever the next manager is Kelleher will have been first choice for 8 games by the time Bazunu is back and Bazunu could easily find himself on the bench next season once fit. Think this long term injury sees Kelleher give Liverpool one more season to see what happens there long term with Alisson.

[backstothewall]

This always gets suggested with Irish players but a move to Celtic would be ideal at this stage of his career.

[pineapple stu]

Unfortunately think this takes pressure off him to move. Whoever the next manager is Kelleher will have been first choice for 8 games by the time Bazunu is back and Bazunu could easily find himself on the bench next season once fit. Think this long term injury sees Kelleher give Liverpool one more season to see what happens there long term with Alisson.

It mightn't - though really Kelleher should probably move at this stage anyway to get the regular top-level games he seems capable of, in what's likely to be a pre-season of upheaval. He can try a buy-back clause (like Bazunu) if needs be

But there'd been suggestions on the Max O'Leary thread that he was by rights number two on form lately. Kelleher may still have a proper challenge for the Ireland jersey (if we assume Travers has dropped back by virtue of his injury misfortune - to be recalled because of injury to someone else)

I think probably O'Leary starts one of the June games now? Not as if Kelleher is injury-proof himself

[Eirambler]

This always gets suggested with Irish players but a move to Celtic would be ideal at this stage of his career.

They can't afford him. They probably can't even afford to loan him if that was an option.

[Eirambler]

It mightn't - though really Kelleher should probably move at this stage anyway to get the regular top-level games he seems capable of, in what's likely to be a pre-season of upheaval. He can try a buy-back clause (like Bazunu) if needs be

But there'd been suggestions on the Max O'Leary thread that he was by rights number two on form lately. Kelleher may still have a proper challenge for the Ireland jersey (if we assume Travers has dropped back by virtue of his injury misfortune - to be recalled because of injury to someone else)

I think probably O'Leary starts one of the June games now? Not as if Kelleher is injury-proof himself

O'Leary is overdue a cap anyway. There will be a number of keepers at the Euros that he's better than and yet he has been fourth choice, outside of most squads and unable to get a cap for us.

[osarusan]

This always gets suggested with Irish players but a move to Celtic would be ideal at this stage of his career.

I get that there's the attraction to Celtic, but apart from Rangers (maybe), he'd be testing himself against the equivalent of lower Championship or even League One opponents.

[pineapple stu]

Yeah, Celtic was a good move for Idah. But it's not for Kelleher I'd have thought

[osarusan]

Yeah, Celtic was a good move for Idah. But it's not for Kelleher I'd have thought

Good for Idah in that he's playing and scoring and that's obviously a huge positive, but this is just one of the opposition players he's up against:

Richard Taylor, centre half for my adopted team St Mirren, who has played in 21 of their 33 games so far (so not just on the fringes of the team). Waterford fans may remember him as the guy who hardly set the world alight down there just 18 months ago.

It's still good for Idah as he gets the game time and goals are always welcome, but I don't think it's a club and league where we'd be able to gauge whether Kelleher was improving.

[WexCar.]

CK seems like a chap who wants to be contending for trophies, so I cannot see him being too interested in a mid table PL team. Wonder if he will have his agent test interest from top continental teams.

[pineapple stu]

Good for Idah in that he's playing and scoring and that's obviously a huge positive,

Oh sure - but Kelleher is way ahead of where Idah is at, hence using him as a comparison. I agree with you it wouldn't be great for Kelleher

I suppose an obvious option for Kelleher now might be... Southampton? (If they go up I guess)

[Eirambler]

Yes, a perfect fit for Russell Martin's Southampton if they get promoted. Exactly the kind of player they'd buy, only question is whether he'd have offers from higher up the league (or higher up an equivalent European league).

[Snapshot]

O'Leary is overdue a cap anyway. There will be a number of keepers at the Euros that he's better than and yet he has been fourth choice, outside of most squads and unable to get a cap for us.

O'Leary looks very capable. Despite Bristol City being a bang average Championship side (currently 12th) his season stat of 46 conceded is impressive. Only Leicester, Leeds and West Brom have better. Bazuno is now injured and Kelleher's prolonged cameo has come to a less than exciting end. Sometimes the hyped "battle" between them was more akin to two bald men squabbling over a comb.

I believe one of our least appreciated players of recent times was Darren Randolph. Despite accusations of being a modern-game incompetent, I cannot remember him ever letting Ireland down over 50 caps.

[pineapple stu]

Randolph was never anything less than solid alright. His playing out from the back wasn't the greatest and it cost us in Helsinki. Nothing else stands out I think

O'Leary has really only been an option since last year. A late bloomer. He's 27 now and has played more games for league teams in the past two seasons than he had in his entire career up to that point

[Stuttgart88]

His playing out from the back wasn't the greatest and it cost us in Helsinki. Wasn't that an intercepted throw?


I believe one of our least appreciated players of recent times was Darren Randolph. Despite accusations of being a modern-game incompetent, I cannot remember him ever letting Ireland down over 50 caps.And Forde before him too.

[pineapple stu]

Wasn't that an intercepted throw?
Week kick out I think, though you can't fully tell from the highlights cos it was showing a replay at the time and missed Randolph's involvement. I think they'd just had a shot wide though, so he was playing a short goal kick out (though in my mind he had the ball in open play, which doesn't seem to have been the case)

[Razors left peg]

I was watching the Portuguese cup final over the weekend and could help but think that Sporting would be the perfect club for Kelleher to move to. They had a 19 year old in goals that cost them the game. He was only playing because of injuries. Adan who has been their keeper for a few years is retiring and Israel their 1st choice for most of the season is pretty unconvincing at times. Israel has had a couple of call ups to the Uruguay squad but Kelleher is a better keeper and they way they play football out from the back he would suit their system perfectly.

[Eirambler]

Genuine question because I don't know much about Portuguese football, but would Sporting have the financial clout to spend upwards of £20m on a keeper, because that's likely what will be needed to buy Kelleher now?

[Razors left peg]

Genuine question because I don't know much about Portuguese football, but would Sporting have the financial clout to spend upwards of £20m on a keeper, because that's likely what will be needed to buy Kelleher now?

Yeah they would, they paid a similar fee for Gyokeres last season, which incidentally might have been the best bit of business done by any team in any league last season. Sporting also paid Braga a 10 million Euro transfer fee to get Ruben Amorim a few years ago, pretty unusual for a manager. They are well able to spend money and they want to have a good go at doing well in Champions League next season.

[pineapple stu]

"I feel like I’ve done my years as a No 2. The ambition now is to be a No 1. I am ready and capable." - Kelleher quoted in the Indo today (https://www.msn.com/en-ie/sports/football/i-ve-done-my-years-as-a-no-2-caoimh%C3%ADn-kelleher-hints-at-liverpool-exit-to-become-first-choice-goalkeeper/ar-BB1nfALq?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=9f96c12c595946cebc7801a9bdfee0b8&ei=14). Let's hope it isn't just bland press conference-ese

[joey B]

Who needs a keeper in the Premier league? Im not finding too many obvious ones of the top of my head.....

[Eirambler]

Southampton, Bournemouth, maybe Wolves if Sa leaves.

[joey B]

Southampton, Bournemouth, maybe Wolves if Sa leaves.

Maybe Wolves but Bournemouth's keeper is club captain with 2 years left on his contract....

[Razors left peg]

Who needs a keeper in the Premier league? Im not finding too many obvious ones of the top of my head.....

Why does it have to be Premiership?

[joey B]

Why does it have to be Premiership?

Doesnt have to be the Premier League,if he gets a no1 spot on the continent then that would be brilliant too ....

[Diggs246]

It doesn't have to be the premier league
But there is only a few leagues that will be able to match his salary expectations.

I'm guessing but he would be demanding 50k a week anyway?

[John83]

Sure, but you'd imagine a club making europe in Spain, Italy, France, or Germany could be good fits too.

[Jolly Red Giant]

If it is the PL you have to look at where Kelleher would be considered an upgrade - and I am just throwing these out there -

Fulham
West Ham
Arsenal
West Ham
C Palace
Chelsea
Brighton
Forest
Bournemouth
Brentford

And the three promoted clubs - the one club he should NOT sign for is Southampton (for the same reasons it was a mistake for Bazunu to go there).

Abroad - a club like Valencia (although their owner is progressively wrecking the club).

[Eirambler]

Maybe Wolves but Bournemouth's keeper is club captain with 2 years left on his contract....

Yes but he hasn't been playing well and there's been rumours that the club are interested in making a change in the position. That's part of why Travers got a few games towards the end of the season, another trial for him basically. But I think they'll want a keeper who commands his area better, which neither Neto or Travers are particularly strong at.

[tetsujin1979]

If it is the PL you have to look at where Kelleher would be considered an upgrade - and I am just throwing these out there -

Fulham
West Ham
Arsenal
West Ham
C Palace
Chelsea
Brighton
Forest
Bournemouth
Brentford

And the three promoted clubs - the one club he should NOT sign for is Southampton (for the same reasons it was a mistake for Bazunu to go there).

Abroad - a club like Valencia (although their owner is progressively wrecking the club).
Raya just won the golden glove award with Arsenal, and you've named West Ham twice

[zero]

Newcastle have been heavily linked with a new keeper (Ramsdale specifically) though I think Pope is fine keeper and it wouldn't be much of an upgrade. Forest tried 3 keepers last season (Turner, Vlachodimos and Sels) - they seem to have settled on Sels.

As others have mentioned most teams seem to be happy enough with their keepers. Chelsea could be a possibility though it would be a battle for the #1.

[elatedscum]

still think a loan move is a possibility or a sale with a buyback clause. reports today saying Alisson has again rebuffed interest from Saudi and is happy at Liverpool. I do think Liverpool view him as the eventual heir to Alisson.

He's obviously below the elite tier of Alisson, Martinez, Vicario and Ederson. Beyond that, it's just down to individual preference really...

The next tier are all good keepers but I don't think there's a true world class keeper that's a level above Kelleher

[Razors left peg]

still think a loan move is a possibility or a sale with a buyback clause. reports today saying Alisson has again rebuffed interest from Saudi and is happy at Liverpool. I do think Liverpool view him as the eventual heir to Alisson.

He's obviously below the elite tier of Alisson, Martinez, Vicario and Ederson. Beyond that, it's just down to individual preference really...

The next tier are all good keepers but I don't think there's a true world class keeper that's a level above Kelleher

Its been discussed before but I wonder if the fee they could get by selling Alisson might be worth it for them to invest in other areas of the team, given that they have a keeper who can start immediately as his replacement. If Kelleher is 75% as good as Alisson, how much would that affect results for them, when they could probably get 4 times the transfer fee.

[Jolly Red Giant]

Raya just won the golden glove award with Arsenal, and you've named West Ham twice
Okay - so I made a typo - and Raya is a Brentford player

[tetsujin1979]

Okay - so I made a typo - and Raya is a Brentford player
You should probably take Brentford off your list then
And I didn't say he was an Arsenal player, I said he won the golden glove there

[elatedscum]

Its been discussed before but I wonder if the fee they could get by selling Alisson might be worth it for them to invest in other areas of the team, given that they have a keeper who can start immediately as his replacement. If Kelleher is 75% as good as Alisson, how much would that affect results for them, when they could probably get 4 times the transfer fee.

I can see the logic but I don't think I really buy it. The savings are huge. Alisson should command an 8 figure sum, and then wage differences on top of that too. The argument is his value is declining from here on out as he ages - and you're better taking £100m now rather than letting him walk on a free in 2 seasons if he doesn't want to extend. Decline in ability is inevitable, although goalkeeper decline is slightly unique in football, in that there have been a lot of great keepers to stay world class into their late 30s, others peaked very early and declined quickly.

But ultimately, I think, keepers of Alisson's quality basically can't be bought - they come along for an individual club, once in a generation (you'd need to go back to Ray Clemence to find a keeper who was as highly regarded at Liverpool). And in that, a top 3 in the world keeper saves you maybe 10 points over an average keeper, just by making key saves at key moments. And if you look at how the likes of United, Arsenal and Chelsea have tried and failed to upgrade their goalkeeper, spending huge money: Arsenal replacing Cech (Leno £20m, Ramsdale £30m, Raya will be £27m + loan fee of £3m), Chelsea replacing Courtois (Kepa £72m, Mendy £22m, Sanchez £25m, Petrovic £14m), United replacing De Gea (Onana £47m).

I think you basically keep Alisson for as long as he's elite and he's happy at Liverpool. All the data analytics say that, the higher above replacement level (average premier league player) you go, the more you should hang onto that player. Basically, the marginal gains you'd need to make up elsewhere in your team among multiple positions would be so difficult to achieve, when Liverpool already have a quality squad. It's often American bull**** that doesn't really take into consideration the way the team plays. Ronaldo's transfers to both Juve and later United have shown that, a world class player doesn't always improve a team. But goalkeepers again are a bit of an island in that respect. Unless there's a gaping hole in their game (like Joe Hart's inability to use his feet), you can plug in, Goalkeeper A for Goalkeeper B without it having too much of an effect on the rest of the team...

Obviously, if you reckon Alisson is no longer that elite keeper and people are prepared to pay world record prices for him, then you do it - but if I'm Liverpool I'm either trying to find Kelleher a 2 year loan or a sale with a buyback clause after 2 years, when Alisson's contract has come to an end.

[EalingGreen]

If it is the PL you have to look at where Kelleher would be considered an upgrade - and I am just throwing these out there -
ArsenalArsenal? No harm to CK, but there's zero chance he'll go there. Last summer they took David Raya (28) from Brentford for a £3m loan fee, with an obligation to add £27m this summer to make it permanent. He soon displaced the incumbent, England cap Aaron Ramsdale, also earning full Spanish recognition himself. Having been recommended to them by their gk coach, who had previously coached him at Brentford, he is nailed-on to be first choice keeper at Arsenal for the foreseeable future. And even if Ramsdale leaves, why would CK move from being second choice at Liverpool to being second choice at Arsenal?


BrentfordIn order to replace Raya, BFC paid £11m to Freiburg for 29 y.o. Mark Flekken, a Dutch international with 7 caps who's just been called into their Euro's squad. Knowing that Raya was going for some time, BFC will have been scouting for a gk for at least 12 months prior. And after a shaky start, Flekken pulled things round after Xmas and ended the season in fine form. Meanwhile, they already have 4 other gk's on the books, admittedly 3 of them still young.

Meaning that even if CK wanted to go there (he won't), there is NO WAY Brentford would pay £20m-odd to have him (at best) competing with Flekken for the No.1 spot.

(Don't pretend to know enough about the rest of your nominations to comment either way, other than that Forest will have to sell a LOT of players before they can even think of buying anyone; while Chelsea may be facing an imminent transfer signing ban, at least until they have brought in some more money from sales.)

[Razors left peg]

If he's going to be sent on loan instead of sold I'd put money on him going to Celtic.

[EalingGreen]

If he's going to be sent on loan instead of sold I'd put money on him going to Celtic.Good choice (both parties), but could they afford his wages?

Don't know what he's on at Anfield, but it will be a decent amount and LFC won't want/need to subsidise any loan.

[Razors left peg]

Good choice (both parties), but could they afford his wages?

Don't know what he's on at Anfield, but it will be a decent amount and LFC won't want/need to subsidise any loan.

I'm sure they could, Joe Hart wouldn't have been on a pittance

[elatedscum]

My guess is he's on a minimum of £35k p/w + a significant appearance fee (maybe 10k) + clean sheet fee. could be more but that'd be my low guess. either way, no one beyond him, his agent and the club know. there's loads of social media posts saying he's on 5/10/15k and Adrian is on 80k, which is obviously not true

[Jolly Red Giant]

My guess is he's on a minimum of £35k p/w + a significant appearance fee (maybe 10k) + clean sheet fee. could be more but that'd be my low guess. either way, no one beyond him, his agent and the club know. there's loads of social media posts saying he's on 5/10/15k and Adrian is on 80k, which is obviously not true
When he signed the new contract I read somewhere that he was on £25K a week - which is good money for a back-up goalie. If it is accurate I would see the expectation that his wage would go to £35K/40K a week - which is well up there in terms of PL wages.

[OwlsFan]

Apparently he's on £32k a week https://salarysport.com/football/player/caoimhin-kelleher/#:~:text=Caoimhin%20Kelleher%20-%20Salary%20%26%20Contract%20Caoimhin%20Kelleher,I reland.%20His%20current%20contract%20expires%20Jun e%2030%2C%202025.

Joe Harte is on £15k a week.

[seanfhear]

Apparently he's on £32k a week https://salarysport.com/football/player/caoimhin-kelleher/#:~:text=Caoimhin%20Kelleher%20-%20Salary%20%26%20Contract%20Caoimhin%20Kelleher,I reland.%20His%20current%20contract%20expires%20Jun e%2030%2C%202025.

Joe Harte is on £15k a week.Joe is on ~ The Dole now ~ ~ Newly redundant !

[JR89]

If Kelleher actually was to end up at Celtic would be a very underwhelming move.

[Eirambler]

There's only a finite number of clubs that could afford him. Basically Premier League clubs, bigger spending clubs across the other four major European leagues, maybe a very small number of clubs in smaller leagues like Scotland, Netherlands and Portugal, and probably quite a few Saudi clubs. Out of those maybe only 10-15% will actually be shopping for a first choice keeper this summer. The main thing is that he gets a move somewhere to be first choice, it probably won't be Celtic, but at least if it was we'd know he'd be playing every week. He's not going to lose his place to Scott Bain.