Jurgen Klopp was in disbelief at suggested Liverpool transfer

Jurgen Klopp was in disbelief at suggested Liverpool transfer - now that deal is inevitable

Caoimhin Kelleher returns to Wembley as first-choice for club and country on Sunday - but a future Liverpool exit seems unavoidable

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp at the post match press conference during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool FC at London Stadium (Image: Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images )

Caoimhin Kelleher is in impressive form for both club and country at the moment. The Liverpool shot-stopper has made eight appearances for the Reds so far this season, keeping four clean sheets.

Starting six of their last seven matches in the absence of the injured Alisson Becker, he is well-aware such an opportunity is enforced. The same as it was last year when he recorded a career-best 26 appearances after the Brazilian was sidelined.

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The 25-year-old has made no secret of his desire to be a first-choice goalkeeper, and saw his wish to leave Liverpool last summer blocked. Such a decision from the club has been more than justified, given Alisson’s ongoing injury woes.

But head coach Arne Slot has already admitted that once the Brazilian is back fit, having previously been tipped to make a comeback after the November international break, he will instantly regain his starting berth at Kelleher’s expense.

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“First of all, Alisson needs to become fit,” Slot said after his side’s win over Brighton earlier this month. “I have always been quite clear, that’s always been the position of Alisson.

“He is and will be our first goalkeeper if he is fit. But first he needs to be fit. But Caoimh has done outstanding, last season and this season again as well but the moment Alisson is fit, he will be our first goalkeeper.”

Kelleher knows he cannot hide from the fact that he is competing with the best goalkeeper in the world at Anfield. Consequently, his game-time has understandably been limited in his Reds career to date.

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But it has also cost him on the international stage, with Southampton’s Gavin Bazunu previously emerging ahead of him in the pecking order for Republic of Ireland.

Such a decision left former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp slightly bemused. Speaking after an impressive performance from Kelleher in the Reds’ 4-1 victory away at Brentford last February, the German said: “He was outstanding. I don’t know exactly who is the number one for Ireland but if they have a better goalkeeper, respect.

“He’s outstanding. This year we gave him more games than he had previously. It’s well deserved.”

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However, Kelleher has now started nine of Ireland’s last 10 matches. And while such a run initially started in international friendlies last season, having seen Bazunu be first-choice throughout the Boys in Green’s European Championships qualification campaign, an Achilles injury suffered by his rival in April has seen the Liverpool goalkeeper make the jersey his own.

The star for Ireland as he saved a late penalty in their 1-0 win over Finland on Thursday, Kelleher will next be looking to frustrate England at Wembley on Sunday.

And he’s warned Bazunu that he has no desire to give his status as first-choice for Ireland when the Saints shot-stopper is back fit - even if he will likely be back behind Alisson at Anfield when such a development arises.

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“I’ve the jersey at the moment and performances have been good. My goal is to stay as the No 1 and keep performing well,” he said. “I don't think anybody can take that away from me if I do that.

“It’s common sense that if I'm playing week in, week out, I’ll come in more match sharp and ready. There’s confidence from playing week in, week out.”

Former Ireland striker Kevin Doyle is confident that Kelleher will become one of the two best goalkeepers in the world once he is fully given first-choice status, while Richard Dunne thinks, ‘It's almost cruel to call him the best number two in the world .’

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Yet with Alisson closing in on a return from injury, he knows his latest stint as Liverpool number one will be coming to an end sooner rather than later. Beyond that, his future is uncertain, after the Reds agreed a deal with Valencia to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili for £25m next summer.

But Kelleher is not letting such uncertainty become a distraction, recently telling reporters : “My thinking at the moment is, to be honest, no (I don’t think about my future). Obviously it’s quite early on in the season.

“Even then, my focus is on playing well. If I’m thinking about my future and different things like that, it’s not going to help my game.

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“I need to be clear mentally to play well. So no, that doesn't come into my thinking at the moment to be honest.”

All he can do in the mean-time is focus on the next game. And right now, that is England at Wembley on Sunday. A star of Liverpool’s League Cup finals win over Chelsea in 2022 and 2024, unsurprisingly such a venue provides happy memories for Kelleher.

“I’ve two Cup wins there so hopefully another happy one on Sunday,” he said. “It’s looking good at the moment. That run of games is very important, keeping that rhythm is good. I’m happy to be getting a chance to show everyone the levels I can play at.”

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By this point, Kelleher’s talents are well-known. It no longer fazes supporters when Alisson is absent and the Irishman is called to step in, with the only surprise being the Reds have managed to hold onto him for so long.

Admittedly, being Liverpool’s legitimate first-choice goalkeeper would appear out of reach for the 25-year-old. But even with Bazunu set to return from injury in the New Year, that Ireland status is well within his grasp.

After all, regardless of who is starting for the Reds, Southampton spent £25m on Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal back in August, with the England international very much now their first-choice.

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Bazunu will have a battle on his hands to reclaim the jersey from the former Gunner, but perhaps one not as tough as the one that still awaits him with Ireland. After all, there is a widespread belief, by those of a Liverpool persuasion at least, that their number two goalkeeper is better than most Premier League number ones - including Ramsdale.

Kelleher is enjoying another successful stint as a first-choice, but at Anfield at least, such status is only temporary. With Ireland now offering an obtainable taste of what he longs to be for the rest of his career, his current form for club and country is arguably a reminder that the goalkeeper is perhaps currently navigating the longest of farewell tours with Liverpool.

In the summer of 2023, Klopp was left bemused when it was put to him by reporters that the Irishman could leave in search of first team football. While the goalkeeper went public on such a desire 12 months later, Slot and the Reds blocked such hopes.

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But with Mamardashvili now a Liverpool goalkeeper in waiting, you cannot help but start to suspect that it will be third-time lucky for Kelleher next summer when eyeing up the Reds exit door.

While not thinking about his future now, an eventual Anfield departure for the 'best number two in the world' - as he was christened by Klopp - is reluctantly inevitable and unavoidable, and has been for some time.

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