Liverpool are set for a busy summer after winning the Premier League but one of their senior players could be about to move closer to a transfer away from Anfield
Georgi Mamardashvili is ready to compete for a starting spot at Liverpool and does not want to spend next season out on loan. The Georgia international will join from Valencia under the terms of a deal agreed last summer, with the Reds paying around £25million plus add-ons.
His determination to battle Alisson Becker for No.1 status could spell bad news for Caoimhin Kelleher. Irish stopper Kelleher has deputised this season when Alisson has missed games through injury, but was linked with a summer exit last year and could now see such links resurface.
“I’ll go to Liverpool and give my all, just like I did at Valencia,” Mamardashvili told Geo Team. “I’ll work hard every single day, training with Alisson will help me.”
Mamardashvili has remained a regular for Valencia this season, building on his impressive form for his country at last summer’s Euros. Georgia were one of the surprise packages in Germany, making it out of their group and even taking the lead against eventual champions Spain in the round of 16 before falling to a 4-1 defeat.
He has played in all but one of Los Che’s league games since Carlos Corberan took over in December. Valencia were in the bottom three when they appointed the former West Bromwich Albion boss, but a 10-game unbeaten run from early March leaves them 12th in the table with one game remaining.
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During a run in the first-team this season, Kelleher questioned whether his form had priced him out of a move. He is out of contract in 2026, though, and there could well be renewed interest this summer with the likes of West Ham and Newcastle linked.
“I played so many times last season – and if you do well your valuation goes up because obviously the club is going to want a good profit,” the 26-year-old said in October. “I was clear (in the summer) that I wanted to play first-team football, whether that was here or elsewhere. I wanted to be a No.1.
“That was my thought process – but it’s always been my thought process because obviously I am a football player and like every player, I want to play. I’m not going to enjoy myself or be happy sitting on the bench.”
While Mamardashvili may yet outlast Kelleher at Anfield, surpassing Alisson as first choice is another matter. The Brazil international has made close to 300 appearances since joining from Roma in 2018, earning plaudits from his team-mates and from manager Arne Slot.
“I don’t think I’ve worked with a goalkeeper that has played at this level – which is normal as he’s the best in the world,” Slot told TNT Sports after Alisson’s match-winning performance away to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. “I had some very good players as a manager, but never had the best goalkeeper in the world, and he showed that today.
“I experienced once or twice where we’ve had to defend that much and usually you come away with a 1-0 loss, or two or three. But to come away from here with a win today was probably a bit more than we deserved.”
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