I am glad everyone knows Kelleher on here. Though when Kelleher mentioned the Jota stuff it was dismissed by many on here. Mama’s kicking is the major issue, I think hes actually been good off his line the last few games.
My biggest concern would be on corners as he doesn’t seem keen to come but I do wonder if thats how we are set up as Alisson does the same. It would cost a fair whack to bring him back even if he was and he wouldn’t be coming back to compete he would want the number 1 shirt. I am happy with seeing Woodman as number 2 if they cash in on Alisson, when I saw him play for Preston in the Championship he was as good as say Darlow who is now starting for Leeds.
Kelleher did have his faults I do think a lot of rose tinted spectacles are used when players leave.
The issue with Alisson is that his fragility makes it a necessity that we have to have a goalkeeper of number 1 status and quality (and that ultimately means money) because you can put your house on that guy being needed for twenty games a season.
We got very lucky with Kelleher that he was willing to stick around for so long, despite being clearly number 1 level. Mamardashvili is also a really good keeper, but has not come here to be a number 2, and I don’t he will want to stay another year as back up to Alisson.
I say this all the time. Everyone is fond of the adage ‘let their legs go on someone else’s pitch’ and we all want to think the club is clever enough to spot the decline mile off and rinse some poor chumps before the legs fall off.
The problem though is that to do that you have to move a player on while they still look like they can do a job. And that’s when fans tend to kick off. But if we want their legs to go on someone else’s pitch, we can’t try and sell them when their legs have already gone on ours.
This is why I have some sympathy for the club over Luis Diaz. Explosive winger, reliant on pace and energy, 29 years old and two years left on his deal, and Bayern offering 70m? Yeah, do it. Everyone is pissed because he’s had a good season for Bayern, but Liverpool aren’t looking at this - they don’t want to end up with the player on 300k a week, under contract at 31, 32 and 33. The mistake was not replacing him, not selling him.
If we can get 15-20m for Alisson then it might be the best course of action to let him go and get on a big, lengthy contract while he still can, and go all in on Mamar - who isn’t going to be as good as Ali, but nobody else ever is.
We also have Jaros to come back from loan. He would probably beat out Woodman for the number 2 spot - although after being Ajax’s first choice for most of this season he probably wants to go and play regularly.
Don’t think there’s a lot between Mamadashvilli and Kelleher as keepers. Neither were as good with ball at feet as Alisson but then few are.
We’re also seeing a tactical shift across the game where that skillset is perhaps less valued that it previously was. Us and City used to invite the press and the keeper was part of the system to beat that. Now we see fewer teams pressing as aggressively as the emphasis is on blocking passing lanes or simply not engaging in a press as high up.
Difference between Mamadashvilli and Kelleher is one had been here years and was done waiting for his chance. The other was prepared to come in and wait his turn but I’m sure he’ll have been given some idea of how long he might expect to wait.
Sure he’s not looking like a world beater yet but he’s also only played in fits and starts, a few games here and there but back on the bench when Ali returned. I don’t think you should judge him until he’s had a decent run in the side and when they haven’t been playing like garbage. It’s not as if Ali has looked like a world beater behind whichever ten underperforming players we’ve put out in front of him each game this season.
He’s our future number one. If Alisson goes this season you could get a serviceable backup without breaking the bank and we’ve Jaros to assess as well.
I don’t think I’ve been as high on Kelleher as most. Thought he was a decent, solid option but not the kind of level where we’d go buy him to be our number one if he’d come through at a different club and was at Brentford now.
It’s not a dig at him but I doubt you’ll see him at a club of our level again unless it’s as an experienced back up at the latter end of his career.
What does Alisson want to do? Live for 1-2 more seasons in Italy, where presumably he loved the life before enjoying the peak of his career in the Prem with us? His wishes will surely factor into this, given his age and what a great servant he has been for us.
I will be fine if he stays one more year, but I am also on board with him going, and sticking Mama in as the number one.
I’m confident Mama is a very good goalkeeper, but getting to the level of a peak Alisson seems unlikely, as he was the best in the world for a good while there.
Let’s see what Mama can do. A new team is emerging and it will presumably come through under a new manager. Let new stories and new legends be written.
If Mama has a full season as number one and doesn’t step up to the challenge, I’m sure we will address it. But we’ve got to give him a chance.
I don’t think Mamardashvili will get his serious chance, like a potential first full season (whenever that is), without us having also a quality backup. And I highly doubt that someone would be Woodman. Jaros could be assessed. That is saying from a perspective in which we are in Europe, CL or EL.
So far I’m still counting on Alisson to be here until we get serious rumours or confirmation that he’s going.
Other than need to get some home grown players quota, I think we really need to get back some of those South American grit, trickiness and ball control. Mac Allister (and probably Alisson but to less extend) need to have some Southern boys to give him the boost.
Looking at the sort of links with Senesi, I wonder if he could do a job as a tucked in LB (and also one of the backups for LCB of course, if needed), if we decide not to sign a new LB, nobody to promote from within and decide to sell Tsimikas and Gomez.
I absolutely don’t want us to remain only with Kerkez as our only left footer on the left side and potentially even in the whole team, from outfield players!
This sort of creative thinking has a lot of merit. In a horses for courses sort of scenario, we might decide, on occasion, to have a tucked in fullback who plied his trade as a cetrnal defender. It would give some solidity at the back, assuming we will have an assortment of attacking talent taking it to the opposition.
