Bruce Grobbelaar on Caoimhín Kelleher: 'If Ireland want him to be their number one, he's going to have to have games'

Bruce Grobbelaar at the launch Of The Carlsberg 0.0 Nil All Campaign

Bruce Grobbelaar at the launch Of The Carlsberg 0.0 Nil All Campaign Credit: INPHO/James Crombie (left) and Conor Ryan (right)

Legendary Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has said that if Caoimhín Kelleher is to leave the club, that it should only be on loan or with a buyback clause inserted.

Grobbelaar, who played for Liverpool from 1981-1994, was asked if he believed Kelleher needed to be a club number one in order to also become his country’s number one keeper?

“If Ireland want him to be their number one in Ireland, then he’s going to have to have games,” said Grobbelaar who was speaking as part of a Carlsberg 0.0 panel discussion in Dublin on Monday. 

“The only way that I can see that he has games is for Liverpool to have a clause in his contract. If Alisson leaves, he comes back as number one. It’s the only way I see that happening.”

Kelleher, 25, has largely featured in the League Cup for Liverpool this season, where they have reached the final and will face Chelsea at Wembley.

There are fond memories there for Kelleher when he scored the winning spot-kick in the 2022 League Cup final for Liverpool against Chelsea, having kept a clean sheet in a scoreless stalemate to send the tie to a shootout. He will be desperately keen to repeat that feat again against the same opponents, with the same trophy at stake.

He made two successive Premier League starts in early December when Alisson was injured. In the first of those, he conceded three against Fulham in a match Liverpool dramatically won 4-3 at Anfield. Kelleher then kept a clean sheet on the road as the Reds defeated bottom side, Sheffield United, 2-0 at Brammall Lane.

The Liverpool number two has also started five of his club’s six Europa League group games. A clean sheet against LASK at Anfield was Kelleher’s only shutout in the group stages.

With Southampton’s Gavin Bazunu showcasing his talent one league down for the Championship high-flyers, the roles Klopp entrusts to Kelleher as Liverpool push for the quadruple, will take on even more significance as Ireland’s international goalkeeping competition for places hots up.

 



About Rory Morrow

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