Caoimhin Kelleher: The Ready-Made No 1 for Chelsea or Newcastle

Shay Given has seen enough. In his eyes, Caoimhin Kelleher is no longer a promising deputy or a cup goalkeeper. He is a ready-made No 1 – and a potential game-changer for two clubs still wrestling with their most important position on the pitch.

Kelleher’s next step

Kelleher’s loan spell at Brentford has done more than just give him minutes. It has hardened the Irishman in the weekly grind of the Premier League, and Given believes that education has pushed him into a different bracket.

The former Newcastle and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper is convinced that Chelsea or Newcastle could – and perhaps should – move for the 25-year-old this summer.

“Could Chelsea or Newcastle come in for Kelleher this summer? Possibly,” Given told BOYLE Sports. “It would depend on Liverpool and whether they can activate any sort of clause to sign him themselves to stop another club picking him up.”

That is the crux of it. Liverpool still hold the cards, and Anfield’s goalkeeping picture is far from settled.

Liverpool’s dilemma

Alisson remains the undisputed No 1 at Liverpool, and as long as the Brazilian stays, a pathway back for Kelleher looks cluttered.

“A lot will depend on Alisson because you wouldn't bring Kelleher back right now if Alisson's staying for the next two seasons,” Given said.

Liverpool have already moved to secure Giorgi Mamardashvili, the Georgian international who arrived with a strong reputation and the expectation that he could one day inherit Alisson’s gloves. Given is not sold on that idea.

“Mamardashvili arrived at Liverpool with a big reputation and he’s done okay so far but I’m still not convinced that he is going to be the future number one after Alisson,” he admitted. “I am now even more convinced about Kelleher given he’s proven he can be number one at Brentford and he obviously knows Liverpool inside and out.”

Kelleher, in other words, is no longer just the calm presence behind Alisson. He is, in Given’s mind, the more convincing long-term option.

Chelsea’s lingering problem

Chelsea’s goalkeeping saga has dragged on for years. Big fees, big decisions, and yet still no sense that the position has truly been nailed down.

Given has watched Robert Sanchez closely. He likes the Spaniard’s shot-stopping, but not the recurring lapses.

“I stuck up for him a lot last season but he does keep going over old ground with some of the mistakes he makes,” he said. “He can pull off some unbelievable saves and you think this guy’s the real deal only for him to have a mad rush of blood to the head at the edge of the box and halve someone in two.”

Those “rush of blood” moments have left Chelsea exposed too often. For a club trying to climb the table and restore some sense of order, that volatility in goal is a problem they can no longer ignore.

“Chelsea are the club who have surprised me a little bit by not bringing someone in, and I say that as someone who does like Robert Sanchez,” Given added.

He is adamant the issue cannot be kicked down the road.

“I feel that signing a new goalkeeper is something that could happen at Chelsea this summer, and if it’s not Kelleher maybe it’ll be someone else, but that’s a position they need to strengthen in this window, not the next window, but now.”

With Xabi Alonso now in charge, the scrutiny on every position will intensify. The new manager’s assessment of Sanchez could shape Chelsea’s summer.

“Xabi Alonso is in place now and he might have seen enough from Robert Sanchez. I’m not sure,” Given said. “I definitely think Newcastle and Chelsea want the strength in that position and Kelleher would be a good signing for either of them.”

Calm amid the chaos

What makes Kelleher stand out to Given is not just his shot-stopping. It is his temperament.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he could come back to the club and what I like about Kelleher is that he brings a real calmness to everything he does,” Given explained. “He never seems fazed or fluffed up about anything. He could make the best save in the world and just get up like nothing has happened and set about organising his defenders for a corner.”

That sort of composure is currency at the top level. Chelsea, in particular, have paid heavily – financially and emotionally – for goalkeepers whose decision-making has wobbled under pressure.

At Brentford, Kelleher has shown he can carry the weight of being first choice, playing every week, living with the scrutiny and the grind.

“I think he’ll continue to develop as a player. I hope he stays at Brentford for at least another season. It’ll do him no harm,” Given said. “He’s proving to everyone that he has what it takes to play regularly every week, and that comes with a different side of pressure than being on the bench and coming in and out of the team.”

Built for the long haul

Behind the scenes, the work is ongoing. Given has been impressed by Kelleher’s commitment to the physical side of his development.

“He’s already working on other stuff away from the pitch, in the gym and training, to build up his upper body strength to improve and get better, and he will,” he said. “I only see positive things for the future for Caoimhin.”

For Newcastle, still building a squad capable of sustaining European pushes, a goalkeeper with Kelleher’s profile would bring stability and a long-term solution. For Chelsea, desperate to remove the chaos from their own penalty area, he looks an increasingly logical target.

The question now is not whether Caoimhin Kelleher is ready. It is which club is bold enough to hand him the gloves and build from there.