Liverpool are unlikely to go down the Arsenal route of signing serious competition for Alisson in goal, according to Reds expert Neil Jones.
Alisson is currently out injured and there are some concerns about how well the club will cope without the Brazilian shot-stopper, who has been a star player for Jurgen Klopp’s men down the years.
Still, speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, Jones suggested the injury won’t lead to the Reds rushing into the market to sign cover, with Caoimhin Kelleher currently looking like the man to step in while the number one is out.
Kelleher is a very decent backup option, but he perhaps didn’t have the most convincing game against Fulham, and one imagines that might have led to some concerns among fans.
Jones remains confident, however, that Alisson’s injury isn’t long-term enough for Liverpool to be seriously considering signing someone in a similar bracket, which is what Arsenal did over the summer when they controversially brought in David Raya when Aaron Ramsdale had a strong season as number one last year.
“The injury to Alisson Becker, clearly, places a great deal of pressure on the shoulders of Caoimhin Kelleher, who might be 25 but who is still very much a rookie in terms of senior club experience,” Jones said.
“Kelleher didn’t have his best game against Fulham, and has had a few other dicey moments in his recent cup appearances, but he definitely has the faith of the Liverpool management. They like his temperament and his distribution, and believe he is as good as No.2 goalkeeper as there is. They accept there will be rustiness, given he had only started one Premier League game in 18 months, and in fairness he has had far more good games than bad ones during his Reds career. He was good enough to start a League Cup final not so long ago, remember.
“Alisson, anyway, is expected to be back within 10 days, likely for the Manchester United game on December 17, which means that the ‘issue’ is only a short-term one, which will not require anything happening in the January transfer window. Don’t expect Liverpool to go down the Arsenal route with their goalkeepers any time soon!”