After years of steadiness with Alisson Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher, Liverpool’s goalkeeping department has become a bit of a basket case since 2025.
Though Alisson looks likely to stay this summer, there is doubt over who will be the Reds’ first-choice next season for the first time in years.
If the Brazilian pushes to go, Liverpool will likely allow him to, meaning Giorgi Mamardashvili would probably be thrust into the number one role on a permanent basis.
How happy would you be if FSG sell Liverpool? 💰
However, Mamardashvili’s future is not entirely certain either, and if Alisson stays, there is the possibility that the Georgian decides to head out on-loan instead of spending another season as first back-up.
Then there is Freddie Woodman, who, after an unexpectedly good first season as Liverpool’s third-choice, signed a three-year contract on Thursday. Woodman had been expected to stay on another one-year deal, so the length of his extension was indeed a surprise, and it could be instructive about what is set to happen with Alisson, Mamardashvili, and other Reds’ options such as Vitezslav Jaros and Armin Pecsi.
Mamardashvili may be heading out on-loan
If Alisson does stay for the final year of his contract – and that currently looks to be the most likely scenario – not many could blame Mamardashvili for looking elsewhere for more football.
Still, the Georgian is widely expected to take the gloves once Alisson goes, meaning Liverpool would not want to sell him permanently, but instead look for a loan move, perhaps in the Premier League, where he can continue his acclimatisation to English football.
READ MORE: Why Bradley Barcola could solve the exact issue Arne Slot flagged at Liverpool
In that scenario, Liverpool would obviously need a new back-up to Alisson, and having shown himself to be a very safe pair of hands last season, Woodman could perform that role.
Once Mamardashvili then returns in the summer of 2027, Alisson would leave, keeping Woodman in the number two role for the remaining two years of his contract, where he could battle with the emerging Pecsi, who could be ready for a third-choice berth in 2027/28.
Either way, even if Mamardashvili stays and Woodman continues his role as third-choice keeper, he looks likely to be handed a promotion once Alisson departs next year.
Jaros has no long-term future at Liverpool
If Mamardashvili goes – temporarily – this summer, Liverpool would obviously need to replace Woodman as third-choice goalkeeper. With Pecsi already confirmed to have left the club on loan, he is no longer an option.
Thankfully, Liverpool do have another excellent young goalkeeper on their books in Jaros, who is occasionally forgotten about when assessing the Reds’ shot-stopping options.
The Czech was having a good loan with Ajax before a knee injury ended his season last term, and though it is not clear when he will return, Liverpool will likely earmark a third-choice role for him in 26/27.
Ideally, Jaros would like a bigger position at the club, or elsewhere, but injury has shaped his immediate future, and as he could potentially miss a chunk of the coming season, he will not be ready to take on more responsibility for a while.
Admittedly this would be placing a lot of trust in Alisson’s fitness. In this scenario, if the 33-year-old breaks down, leaving Woodman as number one, Jaros would be number two, and there is a big chance he is not fit to begin the season.
Quite where Liverpool would turn then is difficult to say, but, either way, Woodman’s extension surely means that Jaros is due to leave the club after a season of recovery and potential third-choice duties.
Now 25, the Czech international will be eyeing a number one slot, and though there had looked an outside chance of that happening at Liverpool given all the changes, Woodman is clearly ahead of him in the thinking right now, and that means we can say with some certainty that Jaros’ future lies away from Anfield.
There are still lots of moving parts here and things could change, but after a couple of years of confusion, this feels like some clarity over Liverpool’s goalkeeping options.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
