Arne Slot reveals stance over Caoimhin Kelleher’s Liverpool future

Slot has welcomed the Irish goalkeeper’s attitude while providing fitness updates on Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott

Vitezslav Jaros and Caoimhin Kelleher of Liverpool during a training session (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has welcomed Caoimhin Kelleher’s declaration that he wants first-team football by saying he would be worried if the goalkeeper did not - but underlined that Alisson is very much his first choice.

The Republic of Ireland international, who has been a target for Nottingham Forest in the last two transfer windows, said it was not his decision to stay at Anfield this summer and voiced his ambition to play regular first-team football.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have signed Giorgi Mamardashvili, who has been loaned back to Valencia but could prove to be Alisson’s long-term successor, seeming to suggest Kelleher is not seen as Liverpool’s next goalkeeper.

But Slot said: " I would be really worried if a player came out and said, ‘I don’t care about playing first-team football, I like it so much on the bench and want to stay there for the rest of my life’. That would be a bigger worry for me. It is normal they want to play but also normal that a club as big as this – trying to compete for trophies – has more than 11 players that can play.

“As long as they accept their situation – not accept in a way that they don’t care but accept it in a way that they can help the team whenever they have to. This is a good place to be in. Caoimh has shown many times in the past few years and even in pre-season that he is ready when we need him.

“It is a good thing that he wants to play. And who knows, he is going to play for us in the future. But at this moment it is quite clear that Alisson is the No 1. It is a normal situation for a player not playing to want to play but he is handling the situation really well.”

Slot is confident Alexis Mac Allister will be fit to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday but rued the loss of Harvey Elliott, who will be out for several weeks with a broken foot.

Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool during a training session (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

He added: “Harvey is of course a big disappointment for him but also for us. Okay, he didn’t play that much in the first three games but he played a lot in pre-season and showed himself really well. If he had stayed fit he would have had a lot of playing time in the upcoming fixtures, but now it gives a chance to someone else.”

Federico Chiesa could make his debut after his arrival from Juventus, though Slot admitted the Italy winger may not make the matchday squad.

He said: “Federico has trained with the team now three or four times so we will see how he does today and which decision I make as we have more than 20 players, [it depends] on if I choose for a position or I choose the fittest at the moment.”

Federico Chiesa of Liverpool during a training session (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Liverpool begin a run of seven games in 22 days and Slot, who has only given 12 players a start so far in his reign, is wondering whether he needs to rotate more than he did at Feyenoord.

He explained: “My former teams, we were able to actually play almost every game with the same players but it is a different league so I might have to adjust to that, but it also depends on what they show in terms of physique.”