There’s no denying that Liverpool fans owe a lot to goalkeeper Alisson Becker for his quality and consistency between the sticks over the years.
From big Premier League fixtures to Champions League clutch moments, the former Roma shot-stopper has been pivotal for the Reds in recent years.
Like any player, though, he’s missed a few games here and there for one reason or another – this provided a great opportunity for young Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to step up and show what he’s about.
He has made 26 appearances in all competitions this season for the Reds, including playing a bit part in Liverpool’s League Cup victory – Klopp’s final trophy for the club.
Despite a couple of shaky performances a couple of years ago that raised questions about his quality, he has become adored by Kopites around the globe for his reliability as a backup keeper and his immense form this season when called upon.
In fact, former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp himself called Kelleher the best number two keeper in the world! Huge praise indeed, and now the Irishman has his sights set on a number one spot, as revealed in a recent interview.
He has, however, hinted that a move away from Anfield may be necessary to realise that dream, with several rumours already circulating about the player’s future.
Of course, Kelleher was close to leaving the club in the summer of 2023, but Klopp blocked the deal and convinced the keeper to stick around for one more year, so an Anfield exit seems likely now.
This data analysis will provide insight into Kelleher’s involvement this season for Liverpool, with various statistics and data metrics being discussed in this analysis to establish just whether the 25-year-old is number one material.
Kelleher Vs Alisson – Data Analysis
Before diving into exact areas of goalkeeper, we begin by taking an overall look at Kelleher’s output in comparison to current Liverpool number one, Alisson.
As you may expect, the latter leads the way in several areas, such as pass accuracy %, clean sheets, and save rate %, but Kelleher has made a fantastic impression in goal.
In 23/24, he bettered or matched Alisson’s percentile rankings in areas like conceded goals per 90, interceptions, and aerial duels won %.
Kelleher also has a lower percentile ranking for exits per 90, which tells you something about his style – as does his higher percentile ranking for long ball ratio.
Kelleher Shot-stopping
As you can see, Kelleher has faced 12.15 xG this season in league football, which has seen him concede 33 goals/1.02 goals per 90 in 2918 minutes.
His tally of 2.15 goals prevented is also very promising, as it shows a consistency in his game.
When he breaks his prevented goals data down to an average, it works out that Kelleher prevents 0.1 goals per 90, like his Liverpool teammate Alisson.
Interestingly, this number is higher than several star keepers in the Premier League, like Ederson, Bart Verbruggen, Emi Martínez, and Nick Pope, to name but a few.
The above graph compares Kelleher’s stats to Alisson’s and other EPL goalkeepers—this one, in particular, assesses their save rate % along with their prevent goals per 90 rate.
As you can see, the keeper in question ranks well above average in both metrics, which will turn the heads of potential future clubs.
As we look deeper, we see that while Keller ranks just below Alisson for save rate %, he does better than the Brazil keeper when it comes to prevented goals per 90, demonstrating Kelleher’s ability to be counted on when it matters.
This next graph gives a little bit more context to the data we’ve seen already as we look at the number of clean sheets Kelleher has made next to the xG he faces on average.
Kelleher’s tally of two clean sheets is something he would want to improve on for sure, especially with a low xG faced.
Interestingly, both Liverpool keepers face a very similar xG per 90, but as you can see, their current number one leads the way for clean sheets.
Distribution
Being reliable and effective in possession is important for keepers at many levels in the modern game.
Alisson has been an embodiment of that for the Reds over the years.
Despite the odd howler from the Brazilian on the ball, he has proven to be far sight better than the likes of Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius – in many key areas.
As we discovered earlier, Kelleher is prone to going long more than Alisson, but he has the accuracy to back it up – his accuracy rate of 61.6%% from 8.61 long passes per 90 is above average, proving his impressive passing range.
What the future could hold For Kelleher
There are several doors that Keller could walk through this summer.
It goes without saying that, despite his public announcement of pursuing a number one spot, he could well spend another year as Alisson’s understudy, but there’s another interesting, if yet unlikely, scenario to discuss.
Once again, Alisson has become the subject of transfer rumours – it isn’t the first time he’s been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, and the rumours are swirling once again.
If Liverpool, for some reason, decide to cash in on Alisson, Kelleher will be knocking on Arne Slot’s door to plead his case of replacing the Brazilian keeper as number one.
Still, there is a strong chance that another club will seize the opportunity to bring in a proven high-calibre goalkeeper – and a few clubs have already been linked.
Nottingham Forest and Wolves have been reportedly keeping an eye on the Irishman, while Chelsea have also been mentioned – of course, they have the ongoing situation with Robert Sánchez.
However, the club that has been mentioned the most, and perhaps would be most appealing to Kelleher, is a move to Scotland.
Celtic could be on the hunt for a Joe Hart replacement, and the Scottish giants have reportedly set their sights on Liverpool’s number two.
First-team football, which likely comes with trophies, not to mention the chance to play in Europe, could be the stepping stone that Kelleher dreams of.
Conclusion
Kelleher’s days seem numbered at Liverpool, but nobody can blame him.
He’s been a fantastic servant to the club and helped them in some trying times while also contributing to silverware, but it appears we’ll see him wearing a different badge on his chest for the 24/25 season.
As mentioned, there is a long-shot chance that he replaces Alisson should the Brazilian depart Anfield himself, but that is a serious outside chance.
If Kelleher does truly become available for transfer, expect a number of clubs to be queueing up to secure his services.
A proven quality goalkeeper who has big game and international experience, all by the age of 25, Keller would be a fantastic investment for whichever team eventually signs him.
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