With just three years remaining on Alisson’s contract and the Brazilian only thirty-one, it appeared odd at the time that Liverpool had signed a long-term replacement for him.
Due to his strong belief that his future at Anfield remained, Alisson had declined a large offer from Saudi Arabia. Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are three important players for Liverpool who might depart on a free agent in July, so it felt even more strange that they had not been replaced.
Six weeks later, though, it’s evident why Liverpool desired Giorgi Mamardashvili. Alisson has performed brilliantly this season, so Liverpool isn’t worried about his form. Regarding his injury history, though, they are fearful.
Slot has already ruled Alisson out of Liverpool’s upcoming match against Chelsea on October 20 due to his hamstring injury, which will keep him out for weeks. It is unlikely that the South American will play this month, and Liverpool is awaiting scan findings to ascertain the full degree of the injury.
Alisson has already missed two games this season due to a thigh issue, and this is his second layoff of the campaign. When considering the entirety of his injury history, it becomes even more concerning. In the past 11 months, this is his fifth time on the sidelines due to a knock or illness.
Alisson missed a game in February due to sickness, 12 days in the previous winter due to a muscle ailment, and 13 games in the spring due to another hamstring injury. He missed a total of 12 games due to illness or injury after joining from Roma in 2018 for £66.8 million.
If he was a hard-tackling midfielder or defender, this may be forgiven, but the sad reality is that he has developed an injury problem. Liverpool determined in the summer they needed sufficient cover and were not content with Caoimhin Kelleher.
Kelleher was outstanding as he helped take Liverpool towards the Quadruple, and won the Carabao Cup at the end of February before the wheels came off their season in March. As with all of his teammates, the Republic of Ireland No. 1 saw a decline in form, and Liverpool concluded he would not be Alisson’s long-term replacement.
Rather, they gave Valencia a whopping £25 million upfront for Mamardashvili, and the international player from Georgia will join Anfield the following summer after spending time on loan in Spain. Liverpool needs Kelleher until then, and they obstructed his transfer to Nottingham Forest in August so as to avoid losing him until the summer of next year.
At Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Irishman was forced to withdraw due to illness; in his place, Czech Vitezslav Jaros made his Reds debut in place of Alisson. After a stint at Stockport two seasons prior, Jaros played the second part of the last campaign on loan at Sturm Graz. He maintains that he is prepared should Slot require him.
Yes, indeed,” he replied. “I believe I was prepared by my previous experiences on a few loans, and I’ve played a lot of games since then. I’m prepared and willing to play at any time.
