Caoimhin Kelleher impresses in Carabao Cup.
Caoimhin Kelleher drew praise from football supporters on Thursday night, despite Liverpool’s Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Manchester City.
The Cork native was once again called upon in goal for a competition that he has made his own in recent years, but the defeat means that it could have been his last in the Carabao Cup for Liverpool.
Caoimhin Kelleher draws praise.
Kelleher produced some strong saves on the night and was only beaten by three good goals from Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake, while Fabio Carvalho and Mo Salah scored the goals for Liverpool.
On social media, fans appeared to be united in praise for the 24-year-old, with some raising the idea that he is now too good to be a deputy for Alisson Becker and that he should look for a move away from Anfield.
This is something that Kelleher has previously hinted at, saying during the summer that he was due to have “conversations” with Liverpool about his future.
Just the four first half saves from Kelleher against Manchester City 👑#COYBIGhttps://t.co/AKoTFuAOnN
— Kenny's Kids 🇮🇪 (@KennysKids) December 22, 2022
Carabao Cup.
Those chats would appear to have gone well, as the stopper has since stuck around for this season at least, although now the club are out of the Carabao Cup, opportunities are sure to decrease.
Eight of Kelleher’s 18 appearances for Liverpool have come in the competition, and he has contributed to penalty shootout success on four of those occasions.
Most notably, he hit the winning spot kick in last season’s final at Wembley, as the Reds overcame Chelsea after a scoreless draw.
The future.
Barring injury to Alisson, the Brazilian goalkeeper is sure to start the remainder of Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League matches this season, leaving the FA Cup as Kelleher’s only likely route to further appearances.
Liverpool host Wolves in that competition on January 7th and if they fail to progress, it’s possible that Kelleher will have played his last game for the club.
The Ireland goalkeeper is contracted at Anfield until 2026 and the club would be loathe to let him move on without receiving a substantial fee for his services.
Given his performances between the sticks, there has to be a number of Premier League clubs monitoring the situation.
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