Liverpool's Rebuild: Alisson, Kelleher, and Collins Insights
Andoni Iraola has barely settled into his office at the AXA Training Centre, but the shape of his Liverpool rebuild is already being debated – and it keeps leading back to Brentford.
The new head coach, appointed on a two-year deal after Arne Slot’s dismissal, inherits a squad with questions in two of the most sensitive areas of any team: goalkeeper and centre-back. Names are circling, scenarios are being weighed, and two former Liverpool targets are suddenly being pushed back towards Anfield.
Alisson’s future, Mamardashvili’s dilemma – and the Kelleher question
The first file on Iraola’s desk carries a familiar face.
Alisson Becker, the bedrock of Liverpool’s recent era, has attracted serious interest from Juventus. Liverpool moved earlier this year to trigger their option to extend the Brazilian’s deal to the end of next season, and internally the stance has been clear: they want him to stay. Reports in Brazil now indicate Alisson has chosen to resist Juventus’ advances and remain at Anfield for at least one more year.
That decision stabilises one position but unsettles another.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, the Georgia international who made 20 appearances this season, suddenly finds his pathway clouded. With his representatives reportedly offering him on loan to clubs in Italy, the prospect of him spending another season as a back-up looks increasingly fragile.
Into that uncertainty steps a familiar name: Caoimhin Kelleher.
Liverpool sold the Republic of Ireland international to Brentford a year ago for an initial £12.5m, granting him the regular first-team football he craved. He responded with an outstanding season, justifying his move and underlining what Liverpool already knew – he is far more than a cup-keeper.
Former Ireland, Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder Andy Townsend believes the story between Kelleher and Liverpool may not be over.
“I think he’s a very reliable goalkeeper,” Townsend said. “He’s developed into someone that I could see a bigger club than Brentford coming to take. When I look at Chelsea’s goalie (Robert Sanchez), I don’t think he even comes close to Caoimhin Kelleher.
“Brentford know they’ve got a good one, but it’s got to be a bigger club. Brentford had a good season, but it’s got to be a club like Liverpool or Chelsea. I remain convinced that he could do that. He doesn’t want to go anywhere now where he isn’t the number one, he’s shown he can handle that.”
Kelleher is now firmly established as Ireland’s first-choice keeper, and Townsend is adamant that status will shape any next move.
“He’s the national team number one by a distance. The last thing he wants to do is go to a club like Liverpool and find himself playing only 10 or 15 games a season. He’s done that already. If he goes anywhere, he wants to go in as a number one.
“I could totally see him going to Newcastle and being number one there, or Chelsea. If Alisson does decide to leave Liverpool, they could do a lot worse than Kelleher. They know him very well and whenever he played for Liverpool, he was always very dependable.”
For now, Alisson’s intention to stay blocks any immediate route back for Kelleher as an undisputed starter. But the equation is simple: if Liverpool are ever forced into life after Alisson, they already know where to look.
Centre-back shortage points towards Collins
The other glaring issue for Iraola lies in the heart of defence.
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez stand as his only senior centre-backs following Ibrahima Konaté’s departure. Behind them, Liverpool hold high hopes for Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, but both are working their way back from serious injuries and cannot be loaded with expectation from day one.
That imbalance has prompted Townsend to highlight another Brentford player with a strong Irish connection: captain Nathan Collins.
“He’s done really well, Nathan Collins,” Townsend told OLBG. “I know that Spurs have just signed (Marcos) Senesi from Bournemouth. I think Nathan Collins would have been a good fit for them.
“A boy playing in London, going to another London club, that can help. I think he could be a very talented centre-half. He had too many mistakes in him 18 months ago, but he seems to have eradicated a lot of that. And he’s a tall lad, he’s quick enough, and he can play. So I think he’s ready for an opportunity now to go and show that he can go up a notch. I think he can do it, I really do.”
Collins’ development at Brentford has not gone unnoticed. Once criticised for lapses in concentration, he has added a harder edge to his game.
“I said a couple of years ago he was a little bit soft with his defensive work, giving away easy goals,” Townsend added. “I think now he’s got better in that respect. There is a more ruthless element to what he’s doing defensively now, he’s a bit more solid.
“Because of that, I think certainly there’s a number of clubs that could do with a player like him and would benefit.”
The obstacle, as ever, is the market. Brentford will not let their captain go cheaply, and Townsend recognises that Liverpool’s interest, while logical, would be tested by the asking price.
“But whether Liverpool will be that and whether they would pay Brentford the sort of money they would want, I’m not sure, that is the only concern. But I think Nathan’s got a lot of ability.”
So Iraola’s early Liverpool story is already taking shape: a world-class goalkeeper courted by Juventus but staying put for now; a former understudy flourishing at Brentford and being talked up as a future No.1 at a Champions League club; and a commanding centre-half whose next step could define his career.
If Liverpool do turn to Brentford for answers in goal and at the back, it will say plenty about how Iraola intends to build his new spine – and about how ruthlessly this new era plans to move on from the old one.
