Kelleher confesses uncertainty about club future after outlining Liverpool motivation

Caoimhin Kelleher is motivated to recapture the experiences of winning trophies at the top level, even if he admits he does not know what his Liverpool future holds.

Kelleher has served as Liverpool’s main backup goalkeeper behind Alisson Becker this season. While the number one made 52 appearances in all competitions, his Irish deputy featured eight times.

Although opportunities were still slim, it was the busiest season of Kelleher’s career yet. Furthermore, the 23-year-old now has five caps for the Republic of Ireland to his name.

He is unlikely to dislodge Alisson for the starting berth at Anfield any time soon. However, he was still able to show his impact along their journey to Carabao Cup success in particular.

Kelleher started the final against Chelsea in February and, after keeping a clean sheet, went on to score the winning penalty in the shootout. It was the first of two domestic honours Liverpool won during the season.

However, they ended the campaign by falling short in the Premier League and missing out on the Champions League trophy. Therefore, Kelleher has learned a lot of lessons, even without getting too much gametime.

Speaking while on international duty, he explained: “At club level, we won two trophies earlier on and then at the end of the season it wasn’t ideal.

“It taught me not to get too high on the highs and not too low on the lows, and stay on an even keel. It has given me good experiences to deal with situations like winning and coming down from a high and being on a low.”

Yet he is hoping to experience the highs again after reflecting on how special the Carabao Cup win was.

The Cork-born keeper said: “Obviously it was a special moment for me. To win a cup with such a big club like Liverpool was obviously a great moment.

“When you do it once, you kind of want to do it again and again and get that feeling again. It’s given me great motivation to try to do it again and get those experiences again.”

Kelleher uncertain of Liverpool future

That said, Kelleher’s long-term credentials as a Liverpool player are still up for question. For context, Alisson is under contract with the club until 2027. Kelleher would be 28 years old by the time the Brazilian could leave.

For now, he is happy with the way he is developing. However, he hopes he can remain Ireland’s goalkeeper on the international stage.

When he returns to Liverpool, though, he has admitted he does not know what will happen. His terms there will run until 2026.

Kelleher admitted: “It’s great to get games in at international level. It’s a very high level and it’s really good for my development.

“I don’t know what is going to happen at club level, obviously, but if you keep performing when you get the chance, hopefully I can stay in and keep hold of the jersey.”

Reports a few months ago indicated that Liverpool want to keep Kelleher as their backup shot-stopper despite plenty of loan interest from elsewhere.

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