Kelleher has made no secret of his desire to play regularly after spending much of his career as Alisson Becker’s understudy.
The Irishman got a taste of regular football when Alisson was injured last season and was lauded for his impressive displays between the sticks. It has been speculated that Kelleher could leave to play as a first-choice goalkeeper elsewhere, with Celtic among the clubs to have been credited with an interest in his services.
He recently played down his hopes of displacing Alisson next season despite the opportunity for a fresh start under Arne Slot, telling The Athletic: “It would be great if that happened at Liverpool, but I’m not silly. I know that Ali has been the best goalkeeper in the world for years.”
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes that if Kelleher does leave Liverpool, it would give Ramsdale a chance to battle Alisson for a starting spot by moving to Anfield.
“If Kelleher leaves Liverpool, there’s an opportunity for him to go and be a No 1 with Alisson,” said Robinson. “Look at the amount of games Kelleher has played this year compared to Ramsdale.
“There’s an opportunity there to have more game time and prove himself. Aaron Ramsdale has got to go somewhere and he’s got to play. He’s been harshly treated at Arsenal. I think the way [Mikel] Arteta handled the situation was wrong.”
Ramsdale was Arsenal’s first-choice stopper for two seasons but was reduced to a bench role last time out, with David Raya earning Arteta’s trust after joining on loan from Brentford. The Spaniard is widely expected to make a permanent move to the Emirates Stadium this summer, potentially leaving Ramsdale out in the cold.
It remains to be seen if Ramsdale would be able to challenge for a starting spot at Liverpool, with Alisson likely to keep his place in the side next season. He has been one of the world’s best goalkeepers for several years and it would certainly be a tough task for Ramsdale to leapfrog the Brazilian in the pecking order.
Ramsdale leaving Arsenal this summer would not come as a huge surprise, given that he will need to play regularly to stand any chance of battling Jordan Pickford to become England’s first-choice goalkeeper. However, there are surely better options for him than Liverpool, who will almost certainly keep Alisson between the sticks next season.
