Arne Slot has organised Liverpool’s talented squad into something capable of titles. Tottenham Hotspur were put to the sword in north London on Sunday and the Reds are now belted into the driving seat with Christmas nigh.
Liverpool’s rise this term has perhaps been reflective of the shift in the managerial mood. Jurgen Klopp was larger than life, infectious in his demeanour and booming laugh. Slot, conversely, is all business.
And Anfield has adhered to that switch, almost as if the persona in the dugout has consumed the club and made subtle changes that are bearing dividends and then some.
Ah, but of course there is that one brooding cloud. Three clouds, more precisely. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are just over a week away from being able to discuss pre-contract deals with clubs overseas.
Liverpool's potential transfer exits
It’s a concerning situation. The three superstars played blinders at Tottenham, have been exceptional all year. All three could leave for free, and though reports have downplayed any mutinous mindsets, the Redmen would be within their rights to entertain suitors in January.
However, as per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Van Dijk, 33, and the 32-year-old Salah have received proposals and talks are progressing positively, albeit at a snail’s pace.
Alexander-Arnold’s future is more nebulous, with Real Madrid bearing a vested interest in Liverpool’s all-powerful right-back. At 26, the Scouser is entering his prime and bringing the facets of his remarkable skillset together to a new degree.
If the vice-captain were to leave on a Bosman in 2025, Liverpool’s adoring fanbase would undoubtedly be incensed, dismayed and dejected. But Los Blancos’ pull is strong and turning them down would be an agonising decision for any top-class player across the globe.
Away from Liverpool’s non-committal superstars, further exit activity could be on the cards at the end of the campaign. Liverpool need to make some signings but FSG are already resigned to losing another core Liverpool member in Caoimhin Kelleher.
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Caoimhin Kelleher's Liverpool future
Last week, retired goalkeeper Paul Robinson revealed to Football Insider that Tottenham could look to sign Kelleher at the end of the season, with Fraser Forster’s recent woes making a conclusive comment on the 36-year-old’s Premier League future.
Kelleher has risen to fame as Alisson Becker’s capable understudy over the past few years, but he’s playing out the penultimate year of his contract and will not sign a new deal given his second-fiddle status.
Compounding his situation, in August, Reds sporting director Richard Hughes signed Giorgio Mamardashvili in a deal rising to £29m, with the Euro 2024 sensation scheduled to arrive from Valencia next summer.
In fairness, Kelleher has earned his flowers, covering the injury-prone Alisson with regularity and proving to be an indispensable part of the Liverpool make-up.
But allowing the 26-year-old to foster his qualities further with a divisional rival could be damaging for the Reds, even if FSG are looking to claim about £35m for their homegrown sensation.
Why Liverpool shouldn't sell him to a rival
Kelleher has been immense in recent years, chalking up 61 senior appearances for Liverpool in total, lifting two Carabao Cup trophies and performing with high and layered quality. Van Dijk has even gone as far as to describe the Irishman as “world-class.”
With Alisson missing separate chunks of the current season, Kelleher has notched 13 outings across all competitions, with his 71% save percentage only marginally behind that of his Brazilian peer (72%), as per FBref.
Of course, the real chatter around the shot-stopper’s skills comes from his consistency and ability to perform on the biggest stages, for he was incredible as injury-hit Liverpool kept Chelsea at bay in the Carabao Cup final last term.
Van Dijk’s claim that he’s one of the finest across the globe might feel somewhat hyperbolic but Kelleher has demonstrated over several seasons that he is good enough to start for one of the biggest outfits in Europe.
Liverpool have been pretty accurate in the transfer market but there have been times when players have been sold before their time and have gone on to forge successful Premier League careers elsewhere.
Dominic Solanke, who scored against Liverpool on Sunday, would be one, but perhaps Raheem Sterling would be a more accurate case, for the England international wanted to leave in 2015 and got his wish when pre-Pep Manchester City paid £49m for the prodigious winger’s services.
It was an acrimonious exit but Sterling will hardly look back at the Anfield exit with regret, going on to win hordes of silverware with the Citizens. Of course, he’s not doing so well now.
Sterling was only 21 when he left Merseyside for pastures new but in goalkeeper terms, Kelleher is also only at the end of his early years and has yet to hit the prime of his career.
Surely this serves as a cautionary tale for a Liverpool side that could make good use of Kelleher’s qualities over the coming years. Allison is probably the best goalkeeper in the world but his fitness levels are a problem.
24/25
11
15
23/24
32
18
22/23
47
1
21/22
54
2
20/21
42
9
19/20
37
14
18/19
51
0
17/18
49
1
That, of course, is a major factor behind the deal to sign Mamardashvili, but you can’t help but feel Kelleher might be a little aggrieved after such impressive exploits in recent years. He’s well within his rights to want first-choice football, but it’s a shame that probably won’t be at Liverpool.
After all, Alisson has missed so much football across his distinguished Liverpool career.
FSG are usually prudent and savvy when it comes to the transfer market, but you can’t dispute the negligent undertones of Liverpool’s contractual quandary.
The goalkeeping department presents a different problem: with Mamardashvili arriving to rival Alisson in 2025, Slot’s squad will be stocked for an age.
But might it be that Kelleher should remain put? Last season, Klopp pronounced him as “the best number two in the world.” With Alisson routinely picking up fitness knocks, surely he could have stayed on and continued to build himself up.
Instead, it might be a Premier League rival such as Tottenhamb who pick the fruits of Kelleher’s labours over the coming years.
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