Liverpool look likely to need a new first-choice goalkeeper next season as Alisson Becker’s contract moves into its final six months.

Alisson has been a phenomenal player for Liverpool, and will take his place among the very best goalkeepers in the history of the club whenever he does depart. As Wednesday’s defeat to Fenerbahce underlined, however, the Brazilian looks to be starting a steady decline.

Throughout his years at the club, Caoimhin Kelleher had always looked like being a suitable successor to his mentor, and having seen him go on to prove himself as a regular starter at Brentford, Liverpool should seriously consider moving to bring Kelleher back in 2027.

Caoimhin Kelleher is the right successor to Alisson

Liverpool fans are not united on many things in the age of social media, but if there is something that most agree on, then it is that Kelleher should have been retained instead of being sold in 2025.

While it would have been nice to keep the Irishman around, though, the truth is that Liverpool could not deny him a move. He was ready to – and deserved to – play regularly in the Premier League, and there was no way the Reds could sell another season or two as back-up to Alisson to him.

Moving for Mamardashvili was a good decision, despite the criticism the Georgian faces, and while fans would like a little more security in net than the pair are currently giving, having Alisson and Mamardashvili as goalkeeping options is a good place for Liverpool to be in.

Nevertheless, there is clearly a big decision to be made at the end of the season. With his contract expiring, it feels like it will be a natural end to Alisson’s brilliant time with the club, so the choice then becomes one of whether Mamardashvili is good enough.

Some will argue, quite legitimately, that the 26-year-old deserves his chance after patiently waiting for two seasons, but others have already made their mind up that Mamardashvili is not good enough. If Liverpool do decide to move on from him, coming back for Kelleher would be a logical choice.

The Brentford shot-stopper would be 28 and still with potentially the best part of a decade still ahead of him. He has already proven himself to be more than good enough at Premier League and international level, and has also played in big matches and kept goal over consistent periods for Liverpool.

Then there is the bonus of having Kelleher as a homegrown player, something the Reds are in need of, and having that academy representation that supporters long for. He may be Irish, but Kelleher is very much an adopted Scouser, and having him back as Liverpool’s long-term No. 1 would feel like a prophecy fulfilling itself.

Could Kelleher be available?

Obviously, there is a sticking point here, and that is that Brentford would surely be unwilling to let Kelleher go especially easily.

The Bees are likely to push for European football once again under Keith Andrews, and the Ireland international is obviously a big part of that. If they do qualify for Europe, taking Kelleher away would be even more difficult.

Having said that, Liverpool did Brentford a fairly good deal on the goalkeeper in 2025, and if the player himself is keen to return to Anfield, then surely it would not be an impossible transfer to make happen.

With three years left on his deal next summer, Liverpool would still have to pay a premium for Kelleher, but that would come with a virtual guarantee of having a top-level goalkeeper between the sticks. There would be no adaptation period necessary for him, and, for a goalie, that could be crucial.

The same would obviously be true of Mamardashvili to an extent, with the difference being that Kelleher has had many more successful periods to fall back on, and has proven himself completely amid the physicality of the Premier League.

It is hard to put a price on a potential deal at this stage, but, using Leeds’ £45m signing of James Trafford last season as a yardstick, it is likely that Liverpool would have to pay a similar amount for Kelleher.

Clearly, that would be a big expenditure, particularly when they have already committed more than £30m to talented youngster Lucca Brughmans, who also has designs on being No. 1 one day.

But if Liverpool decide that Mamardashvili is not their man, they can surely sell the Georgian for something close to the £20m they paid for him, if not more, offsetting the cost for Kelleher and giving them an exciting new-look goalkeeping department for next season.

Kelleher was always supposed to be Alisson’s successor at Liverpool, and though he ultimately had to move away to confirm that beyond doubt, the time is coming for it to become reality.