CAOIMHIN KELLEHER SAYS he’s ready to leave Liverpool unless he’s No.1 goalkeeper next season.
But the Republic of Ireland international admits he doesn’t have the final say on his future because he still has two more years on his contract at Anfield.
Kelleher featured 26 times in all competitions last term after first choice Alisson missed a large chunk of the campaign due to injury.
The Cork native starred as Liverpool won the Carabao Cup in Jurgen Klopp’s farwell and also believes he showed his class over the course of the year to those who doubted his abilities as an understudy to the Brazilian.
“I’ve played a lot of games and had that taste this season of being a No.1, whether that’s at Liverpool or elsewhere that remains to be seen. My main focus at the moment is to be No.1,” the 25-year-old said.
“I’m at that stage in my career where I need to make that next step and play week in week out so I think that’s all it was really, a reflection on the season and my ambitions going forward.
“I don’t think there was any internal doubt from myself, I think anyone at Liverpool would be the same, it was moreso me getting the opportunity to prove to everyone else that I’m good enough to play at this level.
“I was always waiting for that opportunity to get a run of games and, yeah, I think that was the main objective, to prove to everyone else, I always believed in myself I was good enough but it was about showing to everyone else that I’m capable of playing at this level.”
Kelleher revealed that part of Klopp’s parting message to him was that “he wants me to see me playing and to be happy”, and while no decision on his futur will be made until he meets with new boss Arne Slot, he is open to moving abroad if the right club makes an offer.
As well as Slot, Liverpool have a new sporting director in Richard Hughes while Michael Edwards, who has returned to Liverpool as Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of Football, has reportedly appointed Hans Leitert as the head of global goalkeeping, according to The Times.
That comes following the departure of head goalkeeping coach John Achterberg as well as assistant goalkeeping coach Jack Robinson, while iconic Brazil international Claudio Taffarel will remain on the goalkeeping coaching staff.
“Of course, you need to speak to the new manager and the new people at the club who are coming in, conversations have to be had with them first before anything else happens,” Kelleher said.
“I think it’s a good moment for myself coming off the back of the season where I’ve played the most games I ever have, my confidence is obviously very high and, like you say, I think clubs will have been looking as well and seen me play so there’ll hopefully be some interest elsewhere.
“It’s obviously it’s given me a lot of confidence and I think that time is right now… I don’t know what’s happening yet with Liverpool but I’m open to all options. If I do move, everything has to be right for myself, it has to be the right club, the right thing for myself and that could be in England, it could be abroad, to make the right decision it has to be a good fit for myself most importantly.
“I can’t make the final decision to say that I want to go and leave, there’s a lot from the club as well, if they feel they need me to stay and need me as cover. At the end of the day it’s not fully my decision if I want to go and leave because obviously the club have the final say.”
Kelleher will be Ireland’s No.1 for the friendly with Hungary on Tuesday and once Gavin Bazunu returns to full fitness with Southampton, who will play in the Premier League next season, the pair will be in contention to be between the posts for their country.
Bazunu was ruled out for nine months in April following surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon so Kelleher is likely to get the nod for the start of the Nations League campaign when England visit Dublin in September.
“I love playing for Ireland, a big ambition of mine is to be the No.1 here, obviously that only comes hand in hand when I’m No.1 at the club as well,” Kelleher said.
“That plays a major part as well, in terms of helping my case to be Ireland No.1.”
Are they for real… He scored possibly the best header you will see at Wembley for a long time AGAINST England a few months ago!!!! Idiots
Our English brethren are a bit thick it seems.
Good on Shane for pulling the pi(s out of them,
Paul sling your hook. What a t#sser. What started off as a lighted hearted piece has turned into a bile laden rant. If you have nothing constructive to say Shane Long is coming into a bit of form and fair play to him. Did well with West Brom last year and is showing signs that he has that bit of drive needed if he is given the chance, a chance that sadly was never afforded to him by Trap and his cohorts with Mr Liam Brady included. Hopefully he can continue to score some goals as it will be of immense benefit to the Irish set up.
The best way is to flat out ignore these people, so no replies and no thumbs down or up. No reaction and they’ll go away. I wish everyone would learn that.
And to think there was a time when these guys practically took over the world….scary….
Eh….. I think the vast majority of them were on a wind up. No doubt 1 or 2 were serious but a lot of fishing involved i suspect
Ah Paul got caught out, we know he is Irish, though he proclaims he is from Chelski and English.
Paul is Mitch, Steo, John, the same troll from Finglas who supports a league of IReland team and Liverpool.
Lads just don’t answer her, spends her time trolling on all the soccer topics with no knowledge and no discussion. As has been proved by her posts above.
BLANK THE TROLL.
How does he remember all them passwords? Gotta be a commitment or the gobsheens accounts will be easy hacked.
Ah sure give Shay Given a shout while you’re at it. He can give Hart a hand :-)
hEART IS SHIT ENGLAND B OUT AFTER2GAMES MUST CHECK D ODDS ON TA
This is a regular twitter fish and reel gag. It’s been done with Ramsey(England) & Lewandowski(Germany) recently, can’t believe Long bit the bait.
Can’t understand how you’re not allowed to use every day words like ‘sh!t’ on the comments pages, yet imbeciles like pauljohnson are able to spread their own trolling sh!t across them!
Don’t reply anyway, he/she will go away eventually.
There must have been 60 or 70 Englishmen at least by now who have played for Ireland, about time England got 1 Irishman in return. And doesn’t the typical soccer ‘fan’ in this country only care about English teams anyway and couldn’t give a fiddlers about any Irish clubs, so one would think they would have no problem with any Irish fella playing for England.
“accounts”… so you accept that you have more than one account on here. Good to know.
If you haven’t been in this country in a month, so where are you now? You are in a country or are you hovering above a country?
You have commented on GAA stories, Dublin related ones, in the past and were passionate about Dublin then… so fail there.
You only said last week that your Chelsea through and through, but you support Liverpool as well… any real Chelsea fans I know wouldn’t give 2 fks who else was playing and only concerned with their own team. So you think United fans support Chelsea against Liverpool!!!!
Your found out, everyone on here knows it.
Steo is gone, the other 3 plums will be too. At least the Journal will be troll free then and we can have right discussions on here.
Agree hes in great form and its great to see and great for irish football. My only issue is R Keane. As long as he is there he will countinue to take th spot of an possible younger contender. Dont get me wrong keane has done more than enough for his country obiviously wit his record but its time to hang up th boots. Just my personal opinion. !
Good comment Katrina, I wouldn’t yet like Robbie to see hang up the shoes because I think he can help the like of Long with his experience.
Jrbmc. Your just a Clown bandwagoner.
@David. Is the article about Long coming into form? No it isn’t, it’s about people on twitter thinking he is English and saying he should get a call up to the English national team. I merely stated England have several better options.
TBH, Shane Longs record for West Brom hasn’t been that good since he joined them and made the step up the premier league from Reading. The fact that we’re more reliant on a 33yo Robbie Keane over a 26yo Shane Long is very telling for Ireland. Maybe Conor Sammon can step up under the new Manager IDK.
I don’t care about it. Doesn’t mean I don’t watch it. I watch all football nearly. Even when that foreign supported kip is playing (MANCHESTER) I will watch them. And to answer other questions, Crouch and Defoe don’t get into England as there is better options there, but if Shane Long was English he be behind them in pecking order. And Danny Welbeck is world class??? Haha, I never even suggested that, he is just like Long. Hard working headless chicken. And in answer to that other bloke, Berbatov scored most goals in premerleague one season, Rob Keane scored all them goals against the likes of the Faroe Islands.
Does Long play for Shitski ? NO ! Does he play for Engerrrrrrland ? NO ! So go away you FOOL !!!!
62 goals against Faroe Island.
D overrated shower of English players play d same teams and don’t exactly tot up d goals against them.
We see how well berbatov does without keane…
Saying crouch is better than long then your just another cocky English follower who doesn’t understand why they do shit at every major competition. It’s not rocket science it’s cos your shit
Yes in a friendly if I remember correctly. What he do to get you all to the world cup.?????
Trap rarely started him
English striker’s in a different league of talent to Shane long. 1, Wanye Rooney.2, Defoe.3, Sturridge. 4, Lambert.5, Peter crouch. If he was English he wouldn’t stand a chance getting into the England squad. He can’t get a start for Ireland when poor mans Berbatov is playing (Rob Keane).
Long scored against England at Wembley in a 1-1 draw that England was lucky to get!!!
Defoe? Peter Crouch? Two men that have rarely played in the PL this season for their teams. Pull your head out of your behind there Paul!!!
Crouch? When is the last time he lined up for England? Give your head a wobble there Paul, next you’ll be telling us Wellbeck is world class
Berbatov 48 international goals
“Poor mans” berbetov 62 international goals
I know who did rather have.
Need any help finding the plot there Paul?
Welbeck is world class!!!
Go home your drunk
Like the knowledgble England ‘fans’ in that tweet thread, we’re dealing with a clown here.
Talking about Roy Keane!
Excuse yourself old Lady. I have only Paul Johnson accounts. I haven’t being in this country in over a month. When I came back yesterday you all were talking about me more than the story. And why would I support a l.o.i team. Im from England, I am not like you, I wont support foreign citys football teams. It makes no sense to me, my family and my friends. And Liverpool is also a kip. The only time I ever support Liverpool is when there playing against that trash heap out of MANCHESTER.
You poor mixed up, misguided, mysoginist child. As Maris always says, “A good liar needs a good memory”. It appears your different “aliases” are overlapping and you have lost all sense of time and perspective. I can help you out son with some excellent Freudian based therapy, all you have to do is ask…..
Can somebody please send Paul for spelling and grammar lessons, whilst also performing his brain transplant, thanks
I forgot to mention I love men. I would love Shane long to touch me inappropriately . All he has to is ask…..
And last week I wasn’t in the country. I haven’t being in Ireland since middle of October. This is my work phone. I leave it in Ireland when I go home. Don’t come onto your site when not in your country. Clown!!!
I don’t care about Steo/Tom/Jack, any of your mates you keep talking about. Are you slow? Can you not read. I have other Paul Johnson accounts you clown. I had a Kerry jersey as my avatar commenting on g.a.a. I was pretending to be Kerry supporter, not Dublin, as there Irelands most successful team. I was jumping on the bandwagon and supporting a team of a city that has nothing to do with me. Kinda like every single MANCHESTER fan. And the only Chelsea fans you know are ones that have never being to the bridge, not from England and only start supporting Chelsea around 2006. Jump on the wagon there fast, its getting away. And you seem to think real fans don’t look at other team’s snd don’t care about other team’s? ??????? Clown!!! Stop watching football because you know little about it.
Quick Quick Paul the most interesting Chelsea story in months has been out up and it’s about,’Mourinho’s Hair cut’
Quick here’s your chance to post more fraud Moyes rubbish nonsense that Steo and his ‘buddies’ can respond to
LOL, thinkk Paul Johnson is getting frazzled,
It is interesting the fact I didn’t mention “jack” yet he is one of the accounts linked to Paul Johnson, so again it proves that he is.
Why would you have 2 accounts? Because you were shut down is it?
ANYWAY, as I have said to others, time to ignore the trolls like Paul, Steo, John and Jack. These stories would be about 1/2 the size less all the trolling.
Yes Y.A.L. he seems to be having a nervous breakdown, it is common among people with multiple personality syndrome. I have offered on numerous occasions to help him, all he has to do is ask….
Trap rarely started him because even Ireland has better options. Last night was one of the only times I seen him score in a competitive fixture. Hes not a striker. Other than last night he rarely finishes.
Paul you’ve said many times you don’t care about international football so why now ??? Did you forget ??? Or just get caught out again ???
How many times has crouch scored in past 2 years? Defoe?? Do you even watch football.
Did you forget he scored against Chelsea? Idiot
You mean you don’t remember his goal against Chelsea a few weeks ago?
Don’t want to enter the football debate, no real knowledge.
Also, the troll accusations, can’t be entirely sure.
But Paul, for a self proclaimed English man, you’re not very good at english.