Liverpool made a lot of additions to their squad this summer.
Indeed, fans were expecting a bit of a shake-up among the Reds’ ranks, but nobody could have anticipated that over £400million would be spent.
Players in each position of Arne Slot’s starting XI were brought in with the Dutchman clearly believing his team needed upgrading across the board.
And, now that they finally know what their squad is going to look like for the first half of the 2025-26 season, the team can actually get to work.
Of course, they’ve already won their first three Premier League games, but throughout those clashes, there were some dodgy moments which need to be ironed out.
Otherwise, they could end up slipping up like they did at the end of last term.
Liverpool almost signed Lucas Chevalier instead of Giorgi Mamardashvili
One of Liverpool’s more under-the-radar signings this summer was the arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Although Slot may have signed the Georgian international for £29million last season, it was only when the 2025-26 summer transfer window opened that he actually made his move.
Last term, the goalkeeper was sent straight back on loan to Valencia due to Caoimhin Kelleher having a prominent role in Slot’s plans.
However, as per a fresh report from Paul Joyce, it seems like Mamardashvili was almost not a Liverpool player at all.
Joyce started his report by saying that the £29million fee for Mamardashvili was seen as ‘smart business’ due to Valencia’s financial troubles.
However, he does outline that Paris Saint-Germain ‘keeper, Lucas Chevalier, was an alternative that Liverpool ‘considered’ signing.
Porto’s Diogo Costa was another, but as shown by Chevalier’s £34million fee before add-ons, he’d have cost a lot more to bring through the Anfield doors than what Mamardashvili did.
Liverpool made the right choice between Giorgi Mamardashvili and Lucas Chevalier
Whichever goalkeeper was going to join Liverpool, it’s clear that they were going to be Alisson’s back-up.
The Brazilian is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, with Brazilian media even dubbing him the “best” player during September’s international break.
So, the fact that Mamardashvili will be getting regular game time for Georgia during these breaks means that he’s able to keep in the best shape possible whenever Liverpool need him.
Of course, there will be times when Slot calls upon the former Valencia man to do a job between the sticks, but in an ideal world, Alisson will stay fit and play most games.
In Chevalier’s case, the fact that Mike Maignan is often chosen over him for France means that he’d have got little-to-no game time and would’ve likely wanted out by the end of the term.
This, coupled with the fact that he’d have cost an awful lot more money, shows how right Liverpool were to sign Mamardashvili over him.
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