John Fallon: Deadline day should be Kelleher's priority, not novelty Cup cameos
CUP KEEPER: Caoimhin Kelleher of Liverpool lifts The Carabao Cup. Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images.
YOU CAN understand it, you really can. For Caoimhín Kelleher, the allure of four competitions dangles, two of which he'll probably be an active participant in until a conclusion promising medals.
He's already the owner of silverware but of his various coveted possessions only the 2022 Carabao Cup one carries the warmth of involvement.
Granted, he did start the first two rounds of the FA Cup that season but it was Alisson who stood between the sticks against Chelsea, saving Mason Mount's penalty in the shootout and allowing Kostas Tsimikas finish the job.
A couple of months earlier, Kelleher was handed those duties on the same Wembley turf against the same opposition. His role in that epic shootout remains the highpoint of his career, one that swiftly requires a jumpstart.
That could be presented on February 25 in the form of a repeat scene against Chelsea - should the Pool see out their semi tonight against Fulham – in the Carabao decider, yet the carrot has to be measured against the harsh fact that the Corkman remains an understudy goalkeeper in the year of his 26th birthday.
Transfer deadline days, the latest looming tomorrow week, tends to crystalise the predicament finds himself in.
Sunday's FA Cup fourth round clash against Norwich seems a shoo-in for a Kelleher start, given Jürgen Klopp had no qualms picking him for the tricky assignment at Arsenal in the last one.
There also exists the prospect of Kelleher maintaining his run as Klopp's Europa League stopper into next month's last-16 tie.
Subsequent rounds, as the business end beckons, offer no guarantees of continuity but the German have navigated that tightrope sufficiently over the years to ensure his deputy doesn't drift.
When Alisson picked up a rare injury in November, Klopp aired the usual platitudes about the confidence he retains in plan.
Branding Kelleher the second-best goalkeeper across the entire Premier League collective behind his Brazilian, while granting him a contract extension until 2026, cemented his status.
"That's why we knew we wanted to have Caoimhín here – for these moments," asserted Klopp, mobilising his back-up option.
"That's the only positive thing about that, to be honest. We can put in Caoimhín and that's fine.
"Now he gets the opportunity, which he deserves anyway, he would have played tomorrow night (in Europa League) anyway, that's clear. But now he will have a few more games and hopefully he can show his full potential."
At his age and profile, Kelleher should have outlived his potential phase. His statistics, for all their exalted stages, are what's held him back.
A mere 32 appearances have been clocked up since he first graduated to the first-team fray four-and-a-half years ago. Tonight's run-out at Craven Cottage will bring this season's tally to a dozen.
This column has been supportive of Kelleher's stance, contending the elite working environment of being around world stars and competing for trophies is conducive to his development, but there was a time-limit to being to onlooker.
His understated demeanour has never suggested he'd agitate for a move, but Stephen Kenny appeared to be speaking on his behalf last summer when declaring his exit was imminent.
Whether Klopp scotched that notion is immaterial, for it's incumbent on the player to chart his own future.
Undoubtedly he's been good for Liverpool but the question arises if they're still good for Kelleher?
Celtic are the latest club to be linked with a swoop for the Irishman – and the 15% cut due to Ringmahon Rangers from the mooted €25m fee would be revolutionary for the Cork club – but the earliest movement will be the summer.
The comparisons with Gavin Bazunu are unavoidable. Almost three years separates them but the fact the first-choice Ireland goalkeeper has exceeded 150 senior games before his turns 22 next month illustrates the disparity in career paths.
Kelleher has the Liverpool gloves over the next week but simultaneously allowing another chance of being the main man elsewhere slip through his hands might be ultimately more pertinent amid the imperative of playing catch-up. That aspect is difficult to Fathom.
A 74-year family dynasty was continued last Saturday when Brody Collins featured for Ireland's U15s against Australia.
The Collins name has been indelibly inked in Irish football since 1950 when Brody's great-grandfather Michael Collins captained Transport to FAI Cup success following a three-game final against Cork Athletic.
His sons, Mick, David and Eamonn all played professionally with the latter in 1980 becoming the youngest English debutant League. He was just 14 when introduced by Blackpool.
The trio's sons represented Ireland at various levels, with David's offspring Nathan a mainstay of the current senior team and Premier League regular at Brentford.
Brody's U15s are next in action in a round-robin tournament from February 12-16 in Wexford. Northern Ireland's withdrawal means two Ireland squads will compete against Hungary and Wales.
Rovers have supplied the largest representation to the squad this season and the hope is internal friction eases. They've just appointed Simon Friel as Director of Academy Operations and Aidan Price remains in a new title of Academy Coaching Director. Neither report to Director of Football Stephen McPhail.
john.fallon@examiner.ie
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