Jurgen Klopp, during his time at Liverpool, had a great eye for developing young talent.
The German spent nine glorious years on Merseyside, bringing the level of success befitting of the football club’s rich history as he delivered a Premier League and Champions League to Anfield.
Klopp was able to do this by putting together a young and vibrant team that could play his style of ‘heavy metal football’ consistently for the years he stayed at the club.
He brought in the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harvey Elliott from the academy and gave them a chance to shine during their time developing into, mainly in Trent’s case, first-team players.
But there was also another talent the 58-year-old had eyed as one of the best in the club despite him leaving the year following Klopp’s departure from Liverpool.
Caoimhin Kelleher proves why Jurgen Klopp was right about his ‘exceptional talent’
Caoimhin Kelleher was the deputy to the Reds’ incredible keeper Alisson Becker for the majority of his time on Merseyside, and when he was called upon to do a job for the squad, he was brilliant.
Many will remember his performances in the League Cup as some of the best in terms of keeping Liverpool in the game, but he was generally a great option off the bench or when Alisson was injured, no matter the circumstances.
READ MORE: Liverpool players must adapt to one major difference between Giorgi Mamardashvili and Alisson Becker
Klopp said as much in December 2023 when asked about Kelleher as a backup.
Speaking at a press conference, with quotes by The Athletic, he said: “Yeah, no doubt. We see him every day in training. Exceptional talent.
“He’s now a man. He was a boy. He’s a top goalkeeper. He’s a focused person. We will not see him in a bar celebrating the clean sheet. He’s prepared and wants it.”
Now his penalty saving record has shown exactly why the iconic manager was right about his talents between the sticks.
After saving Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty in the Republic of Ireland’s 1-0 loss to Portugal, he has now, in his last three penalties saved, stopped some of the best stars in the game.
For Brentford, he was able to save Bruno Fernandes’s strike, and last season stopped Kylian Mbappe in Liverpool’s exceptional win over Real Madrid.
A brilliant record for a brilliant keeper who has shown at his new club that he was deserving of being a No. 1 instead of sitting on the bench.
Liverpool were right to sell Caoimhin Kelleher despite his ‘exceptional talent’
However, his exit from Anfield made sense given that Giorgi Mamardashvili was announced as a signing in the summer prior to him leaving.
Already, the Georgian has proven that he is a special talent, and as Alisson is not leaving the club just yet, it was right for Kelleher to find himself starting elsewhere.
But there is no doubt that if circumstances were different, he would be a big part of the backline; it was just not meant to be.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
