“Pressure on him will now be different” - John Aldridge questions transfer fee involved in deal for 26-year-old Liverpool star to leave Anfield
John Aldridge believes Liverpool could've held out for a higher fee for Caoimhin Kelleher's transfer to Brentford this summer. He said that the Reds could've tried to extract more money to help even out Florian Wirtz's transfer.
Kelleher joined Brentford permanently this summer for a reported fee of £18 million. He had one year left on his contract at Anfield, but he was expected to remain the second choice behind Alisson Becker. With Mark Flekken moving to Bayer Leverkusen, Kelleher is likely to be the first choice for Brentford.
However, Aldridge believes the Merseysiders could've gotten a higher fee for the 26-year-old. He told Sunday World:
“The first part of that story was always likely to be Kelleher’s move away from Liverpool, and while I’m disappointed to see the Cork keeper leave my old club, he had no choice. He is way too good to be sitting on the bench and the only surprise for me is the fee Brentford are paying to get one of the best keepers in the Premier League."
“We are going to see some crazy transfer fees in this summer’s window, with Liverpool likely to break their transfer record if they can get the deal for Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz over the line. That deal is likely to be worth over £100 million and history tells us that the Liverpool owners will look to fund a transfer of that size with player sales and Kelleher’s exit was always going to be part of their plan."
Aldridge added that the 2024-25 Premier League champions could've received around £36 million for Kelleher. He added:
“So when news came through that Brentford are paying just £18 million for Caoimh, it struck me that they have got themselves a real bargain, as I thought Liverpool might get double that fee for him. Brentford keeper Mark Flekken is on his way to Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool will be hoping this becomes a transfer triangle if they can wrap up the deal to bring Wirtz in."
Further mentioning how the pressure on Kelleher will be different, considering he'll be the first-choice goalkeeper now, Aldridge said:
“I’m sad to see Kelleher leave Liverpool because he has been a fantastic servant and stepped in at crucial moments to help the club win some big trophies. He is a top class keeper, but the pressure on him now will be different next season as he will be playing regular football and his mistakes will be highlighted, but that’s what he needs now.”
Kelleher made 67 appearances for the Reds across competitions, keeping 24 clean sheets and conceding 79 goals.
Alisson Becker opens up on his future at Liverpool
The Brazilian joined the Merseysiders from AS Roma in 2018 and has been exceptional for them. He has kept 127 clean sheets in 298 games for Liverpool, conceding 269 goals.
However, Alisson is 32 now and there is speculation about his future due to his injury concerns. His contract at Anfield expires in 2026 but it has an extension option of one year.
When asked about his future with the club during the international duty earlier this month, Alisson said (via SI):
“I’ve never been able to plan long term. Obviously now I have one year left on my contract and another year of club option, which they will probably exercise.”
The Brazilian goalkeeper, notably, made just 35 appearances across competitions in the 2024-25 season due to his injury issues. The Reds, meanwhile, are also set to welcome Giorgi Mamardashvili, whom they signed from Valencia last summer.
