Incredible goalkeeping stat proves Liverpool must be careful with £15m transfer decision

The importance of Caoimhín Kelleher has been amplified after he matched Alisson Becker’s appearance record for this season.

Due to Alisson’s injury issues this season, Kelleher has been afforded more opportunities than ever before and after starting against Sheffield United at Anfield on Thursday night, he has now matched the Brazilian’s number of appearances this season - it means that an astounding 53% of his career Liverpool games will have come during this campaign.

He’s already contributed important performances such as in the EFL Cup final against Chelsea with a ‘man of the match’ performance and, as it stands, he boasts the third-highest figures for goals prevented per90. Interestingly, he also ranks first for passes completed p90, accurate passes to final third and accurate short passes - he’s been brilliant.

Previous windows had seen Premier League register a strong interest in him, with Nottingham Forest even going as far as to bid £15m in January. That bid was promptly rejected as Liverpool valued him at least £10-15m higher and that figure will surely be elevated even further based off his performances so far this season. Alisson is clearly one of the best in the world and, typically speaking, Kelleher is limited to less than 10 games per season as a number two option.

There were claims from football figures, such as former Irish manager Stephen Kenny and former keeper David Seaman, that he should look to branch out and become a first-choice keeper elsewhere as he is simply too good to be a back-up.

For Liverpool, Kelleher has proven across 20+ games that he is much improved and capable of being their first choice and that the club should think twice about allowing him to leave in the summer unless an appropriate bid arrives. Currently, he has two years left on his current deal and the club are in no rush to sell and, at 25, he still has time to develop behind Alisson should he continue to do so.