Liverpool’s decision to fork out £66.8m for a goalkeeper in the summer of 2018 raised a few eyebrows as it was the highest transfer fee ever paid for a player in that position, by a huge margin. Despite concerns of overpaying at the time, you would struggle to find a fan who does not believe Alisson to have been worth every penny of the fee paid.
Since joining, Alisson has enjoyed seven consecutive seasons as Liverpool’s undisputed number one goalkeeper. He has started every Premier League game he has been fit for and been one of the first names on the sheet when available. Could this change in 2025/26 though as Liverpool welcome Georgian number one Giorgi Mamardashvili to Anfield? Let us explore what might happen as Alisson faces perhaps the toughest threat to his number-one status since joining the club.
Alisson
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Alisson will be 32 years old by the start of the 2025/26 season so around the ideal age for a goalkeeper. His current contract ties him to Liverpool until the summer of 2027 and there have been no murmurings of him being unhappy at the club or wanting a new challenge. What Liverpool have with Alisson is an elite distributor. Not only is the Brazilian supremely composed with the ball at his feet but he can pick out a pass like very few can.
It regularly feels like Liverpool have 11 outfield players on the pitch as Alisson can play the ball as well as his teammates. His comfortableness in this area often sees the Brazilian come out of his box to snuff out danger. During his time at Liverpool, he has averaged an impressive 2.08 defensive actions outside of the box per 90 minutes (league only). For reference, the average figure in the Premier League this season at the time of writing stood at 1.22.
Given his elite ball-playing skills and excellent sweeper-keeper ability, why have Liverpool spent £29m on signing Mamardashvili? Well, that is because Alisson does not excel at all elements of goalkeeping. His cross-stopping percentage for Liverpool in the Premier League is 5%. To give some context to this number, the average crosses stopped percentage this season is 7.1%. More important than this though is Alisson’s relatively average shot-stopping ability.
The former Roma man enjoyed a stunning season in 2022/23 which saw him overperform his expected goals conceded by 10.1 but this kind of season has been something of an anomaly. Whilst his reputation is high, the stats do not necessarily back that up.
| Premier League Season | Post-Shot Expected Goals minus Allowed Goals (PSxG) |
|---|---|
| 2018/19 | +5.2 |
| 2019/20 | -2.3 |
| 2020/21 | +3.0 |
| 2021/22 | +1.4 |
| 2022/23 | +10.1 |
| 2023/24 | -0.3 |
| 2024/25* | -0.3 |
*as of 11th April
If you are unsure what this stat means, it looks at how many goals the average goalkeeper should have conceded based on the shots they faced. The actual goals they conceded is then subtracted to produce a +/- figure. So in 2022/23 Alisson let in 10.1 fewer goals than would have been expected of the average keeper based on the shots he faced.
Excluding the 2022/23 anomaly, Alisson’s record over the past four seasons only puts him at +0.8 goals prevented. Not a bad figure by any means – slightly above average, but it does point to a keeper that is only a solid shot-stopper, rather than an excellent one.
Giorgi Mamardashvili
We have reached an agreement for the transfer of Giorgi Mamardashvili, subject to a work permit and international clearance – with the Valencia goalkeeper set to move to Anfield ahead of the 2025-26 season 🙌🔴
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 27, 2024
Liverpool’s £29m signing of Mamardashvili was thought to be because Arne Slot cares more about having a goalkeeper who is an exceptional shot-stopper rather than a ball-playing starter of attacks. The Reds signed the Georgian in the summer of 2024, following a truly outstanding year by the young keeper. Not only did he shine in the European Championship, but he was just as incredible in La Liga for Valencia.
Looking at his PSxG stat, Mamardashvili overperformed by a huge 10.2 goals, almost a replica of Alisson’s truly outstanding 2022/23 campaign. This was the best figure in the entire Spanish top flight, an impressive feat for a goalkeeper aged just 23 at the time. Coupled with this were some other impressive figures such as an 8.5% stopped cross rate (3rd best in La Liga, min. 13 starts).
He has not impressed to nearly the same extent in 2024/25 though and it is hard to tell which year is the irregular one given he has only had three full seasons as Valencia’s number one.
| La Liga Season | Post-Shot Expected Goals minus Allowed Goals (PSxG) |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | -0.1 |
| 2023/24 | +10.2 |
| 2024/25* | -2.1 |
*as of 11th April
Is this a goalkeeper who had one fluke year as one of the world’s best shot-stoppers or are we witnessing a young keeper who gave us a glimpse of his future potential? It is tough to say currently but what we do know is that favouring Mamardashvili would represent a major change for Liverpool. The Georgian is not a natural sweeper keeper nor anything special with the ball at his feet. He prefers to kick the ball long and is much less involved in the play than Alisson (19 ‘live’ passes per 90 league minutes compared to 29.4 for Alisson).
Caoimhin Kelleher
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When discussing Liverpool’s goalkeeping options you cannot overlook Kelleher. The highly rated Irishman has struggled for a consistent run of games during his time at Anfield and now, aged 26, he will want guaranteed minutes to help with his development. Presumably facing next season behind Alisson and Mamardashvili in the pecking order, the Republic of Ireland international will surely look for a move away from Anfield this summer.
As far as backup goalkeepers go, Kelleher is probably the best in the Premier League and he has been an outstanding deputy to Alisson when called upon. Many Liverpool fans would love to see him eventually take the number one spot but this could take several seasons. With Kelleher unwilling to wait this long and his contract expiring next summer, Liverpool will likely cash in while they can.
Watch This Space!
We expect the highly sought-after Kelleher to leave Liverpool in the summer in the pursuit of more game time. Alisson will likely retain the number one spot for the beginning of the 2025/26 season at least. But Mamardashvili was brought in to act as very serious competition and will likely be given opportunities, especially as Alisson is becoming increasingly injury prone. If the Georgian impresses during these moments, he may well become Slot’s preferred option as £29m is not a fee you pay for a goalkeeper you expect to always remain as your second choice. Watch this space!