Ex-Liverpool goalkeeper in no doubt about Alisson and Giorgi Mamardashvili pecking order

Yahoo

4 days ago

Liverpool's goalkeeping department is undergoing a lot of flux this summer. But Alisson is staying put as a vital constant, and one former goalkeeper has weighed in on whether new man Giorgi Mamardashvili will take the jersey.
Advertisement
Two-thirds of Arne Slot's senior options between the sticks will be different in his second season at Anfield. Caoimhin Kelleher has left for Brentford, finally getting the chance to prove himself as a number one, while Vitezslav Jaros has gone on loan to Ajax.
Logically, Mamardashvili will arrive as the effective replacement to Kelleher in the backup role. Yet the much-coveted Georgian goalkeeper, considered one of the best young talents around, will not have signed on for an indefinite stint on the bench.
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Milos Kerkez medical, Marc Guehi latest, Darwin Nunez 'priority'
READ MORE: Liverpool 'makes contact' over Viktor Gyokeres transfer amid Darwin Nunez speculation
Advertisement
As Kelleher has found to his chagrin over the years, Alisson has consistently been the best goalkeeper in the world for a long time. His injury record does afford a few more chances than most back-up goalkeepers can expect, but life behind him in the pecking order is a pretty tough gig if you have aspirations of playing regularly.
But Mamardashvili has come to compete. According to Anfield Watch, who spoke to someone who has worked for both the agency and former club of the goalkeeper, the 24-year-old believes he is ready to come in and immediately challenge.
That's an admirable attitude. However, former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld does not foresee a battle for the number one spot developing next season.
"Alisson is just the best in the world," Westerveld told Empire of the Kop. "Obviously the number one is the number one."
Advertisement
That's likely to prove accurate. Both Slot and Jurgen Klopp before him rated Kelleher really highly, but there was never a time when the Irishman realistically challenged Alisson.
It's no slight on the second-choice, whether that's Kelleher or Mamardashvili. It's just that Liverpool happens to have a truly world-class option as its number one.
Alisson Becker of Liverpool. -Credit:Nevertheless, Westerveld is confident that Mamardashvili will get chances. And he believes he is capable of stepping up:
"You need great goalkeepers so that if something happens, the other one can step in,' he explained. "Mamardashvili can do that now when Kelleher is leaving."
Advertisement
If Mamardashvili is able to show his level in cameos, either in cup games or in any spells where Alisson is sidelined, then he will be positioning himself well for future seasons. Crucially, unlike Kelleher, there is at least a clear path to one day earning promotion.
At 32, Alisson is eight years Mamardashvili's senior. While he has shown no signs of slowing down, and goalkeepers can remain at the top level longer than most, the end of his contract in 2027 marks a significant date.
Technically, his terms are up in 2026, but Liverpool will surely trigger its one-year extension. Beyond that, however, the future is less certain, and Mamardashvili has every right to believe he will have staked his own claim by that point.
Meanwhile, Liverpool has also brought in Armin Pecsi from Puskas Akademia in Hungary. With no loan planned for the next six months to a year, the 20-year-old may yet begin the season as third-choice at his new club.