Because it stands, Liverpool’s solely signing of the summer season could possibly be a participant who doesn’t even be a part of the membership till 2026, with Giorgi Mamardashvili the goal.
Although talks with Valencia stalled, if proposals undergo the Georgian goalkeeper will keep on mortgage on the Mestalla earlier than ultimately making the £34 million transfer to Anfield.
In a decidedly quiet summer season, jibes that new sporting director Richard Hughes has struggled to fulfill the demand for transfers clearly ring true.
However a delayed deal to carry Mamardashvili to Merseyside shouldn’t be undersold, because the 6’6″ stopper is among the most promising goalkeepers in Europe.
He got here to the eye of most for his performances with Georgia at Euro 2024, however these inside Liverpool’s recruitment workforce could have been conscious of the 23-year-old lengthy earlier than that.
With greater than a century of appearances below his belt for Valencia, Mamardashvili has produced a convincing financial institution of information for the membership’s researchers to pore over.
Why Mamardashvili is on the radar
Arriving in Valencia from Dinamo Tbilisi in 2021, following mortgage spells with FC Rustavi and Locomotive Tbilisi in his native Georgia, he initially joined as fourth-choice goalkeeper.
However having made a giant impression in pre-season he began that marketing campaign as No. 1, along with his mortgage deal made everlasting by the top of the yr.
Now, after three full seasons as first alternative at Valencia, Mamardashvili has developed into an outstanding shot-stopper whose dominance of the penalty space has attracted curiosity from a variety of prime golf equipment.
It’s straightforward to see why: he’s fast off his line, spreads himself effectively and possesses excellent agility and reflexes, whereas his top and attain make him an imposing problem for opponents when claiming crosses.
There’s much less proof of his capability on the ball, largely owing to the techniques employed by Valencia and Georgia, however chatting with Anfield Watch, former Dinamo Tbilisi scout Mikha Gabechava famous it as an space of main enchancment.
“Relating to his capability to play along with his toes, I’ve to say that he has improved considerably over the previous couple of years, primarily as a result of he has a improbable goalkeeper coach at Valencia,” Gabechava stated.
“Even in his early days at Valencia, he used to make errors and wasn’t as efficient in that side.
“Nonetheless, now you may clearly see that he’s extra comfy and assured on the ball.”
These with a data of underlying knowledge have in contrast his present stage of output with that of Alisson earlier than the Brazilian made his £65 million swap from AS Roma to Liverpool six years in the past.
Succession planning
Liverpool have been satisfied again then that Alisson had proven sufficient to be value a world-record deal for a goalkeeper, score him above one other goal in Jan Oblak.
Alisson was regarded throughout the membership as a transformative signing akin to that of Virgil van Dijk six months earlier, and having now gained each trophy doable, that perception has been vindicated.
It has caught within the craw of some supporters, then, that Liverpool are readily pursuing one other goalkeeper with a transparent plan to succeed the present No. 1.
That’s significantly evident as, with Caoimhin Kelleher and Vitezslav Jaros already in place behind Alisson, it’s a place which is arguably their lowest switch precedence at current.
An issue in touchdown an elite-level No. 6 and an absence of progress in the case of contract extensions for Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah have underlined this level.
However the initiative proven in figuring out Mamardashvili and shifting to get the deal carried out forward of time, together with arranging worthwhile expertise within the meantime, needs to be counseled.
It needs to be acknowledged that the notion of Liverpool taking their eye off the ball when it got here to different key areas started previous to this summer season’s altering of the guard within the boardroom.
With Michael Edwards returning as a part of Fenway Sports activities Group and Hughes offering stability in his long-term place of sporting director – after a brief run with Jorg Schmadtke within the function – the membership are working to revive order.
That, and new head coach Arne Slot‘s need to evaluate the squad completely earlier than any selections are made, may clarify the dearth of exercise in the summertime switch window.
And a proposed deal to carry Mamardashvili to Liverpool in 2026, when he could be almost 26, is their strongest signal but of succession planning in motion.
Alisson needs to be going nowhere but!
However there needs to be no acceptance that that is an imminent handover; Alisson will solely flip 32 in October and final yr instructed journalists that he was “nonetheless younger for a goalkeeper” and will play effectively into his late 30s.
A clear sheet in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Ipswich was the proper begin to his seventh season with the membership, and although he was solely required to make two saves, he carried out with the identical assuredness that has positioned him amongst Liverpool’s best-ever goalkeepers.
Alisson has already proven he’s completely suited to Slot’s new system, along with his capability in possession lending itself to a composed buildup, whereas his uncooked qualities as a goalkeeper communicate for themselves.
There’s nonetheless a robust declare for the Brazil worldwide to be thought of one of the best on the earth in his place.
If the membership do formally announce their settlement with Valencia this summer season, nevertheless, it’s going to pressure followers to confront the unhappy actuality that Alisson won’t be with the Reds ceaselessly.
Hyperlinks with the Saudi Professional League persist and there’s a lingering sense that he’ll ultimately look to depart the wet climes of north-west England.
Departed head of goalkeeping John Achterberg has even urged Alisson may have left the membership as early as this summer season, had the choice been made to half methods with goalkeeper coach Claudio Taffarel as a part of the post-Jurgen Klopp reshuffle.
Whereas there stay doubts over the futures of Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Salah – and the way, in the event that they have been to depart, Liverpool would change three of their most essential gamers – there ought to a minimum of be a reduction that succession is already mapped out with Alisson.
Fortuitously, it gained’t be a sudden shift for followers to come back to phrases with, because the world’s greatest No. 1 goes nowhere any time quickly.
