Soccer

Liverpool boss Arne Slot not surprised at Caoimhín Kelleher’s Anfield frustration

Liverpool turned down a bid from Nottingham Forest for the Ireland goalkeeper during the transfer window

Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher makes a save during the Nations League game against England at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
Fri Sept 13 2024 - 12:42

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admits he is not surprised with the frustration of Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher over his lack of first-team opportunities at Anfield.

Kelleher was one of 10 Liverpool players to play the full 90 minutes in two internationals during the break in club action and admitted he has asked for a move away from the club in a bid to play more first-team football.

The 25-year-old from Cork is No 2 to Alisson Becker but even that position is under threat after Liverpool signed Georgia international Giorgi Mamardashvili, before loaning him back to Valencia until next summer.

Saturday’s opponents Nottingham Forest were interested in signing Kelleher in the last transfer window and Slot accepts players want to play.

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“I would be really worried if a player came out and said, ‘I don’t care about playing first-team football, I like it so much on the bench and want to stay there for the rest of my life’. That would be a bigger worry for me,” he added.

“But at this moment it is quite clear that Alisson is the number one. He is handling the situation really well.”

Slot admits he may have to embrace squad rotation more than he has done previously in his career as the demands of the Champions League campaign kick in.

Saturday’s visit of Forest is the start of period of seven matches in 22 days but in his first three games he had made just one change to his starting XI – Ibrahima Konate coming in for Jarell Quansah at centre back.

During his time at Feyenoord Slot resisted the temptation to make too many alterations, although he did not have the depth of resources he now has at Anfield.

The Dutchman accepts he may have to change that stance, saying: “My former teams we were able to actually play almost every game with the same players. But it is a different league so I might have to adjust to that, but it also depends on what they show in terms of physique.

“In the first three games we were really strong in terms of physique but we only played one game every seven days. Now they have a point to prove.

“I assume they all want to play every game, so if they want to they have to show up every time in terms of quality and especially work rate.

“We have more than 11 very good players so I can use more.”

The international break may influence his thinking for the visit of Forest, especially with a few of his players returning from South America, but he allayed any concerns over a potential problem for Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.

“Yeah, he was out in the last game but he trained with us yesterday,” said Slot. “I am expecting Macca to be with us tomorrow.”

In a rare occurrence Slot actually welcomed the international break for getting some of his underused players valuable pitch time.

“In some situations, I was really happy with the fact they played 90. So it was – for now – a present I got from most of the national team coaches.

“Maybe in the future I will sometimes love it to be a bit different but it is a positive thing that we are in such a good place we have 10 players that can play every minute for their national teams. It says a lot about the quality we have.”

The only downside to the international break was the fractured foot sustained by Harvey Elliott, who has played only seven minutes of club football this season, on England under-21 duty.

“If he had stayed fit he would have had a lot of playing time in the upcoming fixtures, but now it gives a chance to someone else,” said Slot.

“It’s first and foremost a blow for himself but for also for us.”