Andoni Iraola's Liverpool Rebuild: Goalkeeping and Defensive Decisions

Andoni Iraola has barely had time to find his office at the AXA Training Centre, but the scale of his first Liverpool rebuild is already clear. It starts in goal. It may run straight through Brentford.

The 43-year-old signed a two-year deal on Thursday after Arne Slot’s dismissal, walking into a club wrestling with a familiar dilemma: how do you plan for the future when your present is still called Alisson Becker?

Alisson decision shapes the entire goalkeeping picture

Liverpool triggered their option earlier this year to extend Alisson’s contract to the end of next season, and the club’s stance has been consistent – they want him to stay. Juventus interest has been strong, and Slot had hinted a decision might be looming this summer, but reports in Brazil now indicate the Brazilian has chosen to resist the pull of Serie A and remain at Anfield for at least one more year.

That choice would steady one part of Iraola’s in-tray, but it complicates another.

Giorgi Mamardashvili, who made 20 appearances this season, sits in the middle of the uncertainty. Claims from Italy suggest his representatives have offered him on loan to Serie A clubs. If Alisson stays as undisputed number one, Liverpool’s ability – and need – to promise regular minutes to the Georgia international becomes far less straightforward.

And in the background, a familiar name keeps circling back into the conversation.

Kelleher backed for Anfield return

Caoimhin Kelleher left Liverpool for Brentford a year ago in search of exactly what he wasn’t getting on Merseyside: a full season as a Premier League number one. The Reds banked an initial £12.5m, Brentford got a goalkeeper who quickly justified the move, and the Republic of Ireland international finally stepped out of Alisson’s shadow.

He responded with a superb season. Six major honours from his Liverpool days already sat on his CV, but this was different – this was his team, his goal, his responsibility.

Now, there are growing voices who believe that story might not be finished at Anfield.

Former Ireland, Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder Andy Townsend can see the arc bending back towards Merseyside.

“I think he's a very reliable goalkeeper. He's developed into someone that I could see a bigger club than Brentford coming to take,” Townsend said, before delivering a pointed comparison. “When I look at Chelsea's goalie (Robert Sanchez), I don't think he even comes close to Caoimhin Kelleher.”

That line tells its own tale. Townsend doesn’t just see Kelleher as a solid option for a mid-table side. He sees him as a goalkeeper who belongs at the top end of the division.

“Brentford know they've got a good one, but it's got to be a bigger club,” he continued. “Brentford had a good season, but it's got to be a club like Liverpool or Chelsea. I remain convinced that he could do that.”

There is, however, one non-negotiable from Kelleher’s side, as Townsend sees it.

“He doesn't want to go anywhere now where he isn't the number one, he's shown he can handle that. He's the national team number one by a distance. The last thing he wants to do is go to a club like Liverpool and find himself playing only 10 or 15 games a season. He's done that already. If he goes anywhere, he wants to go in as a number one.”

That is the crux. Liverpool know Kelleher well, know his temperament, know his reliability. They also know exactly why he left.

Townsend can imagine several landing spots.

“I could totally see him going to Newcastle and being number one there, or Chelsea. If Alisson does decide to leave Liverpool, they could do a lot worse than Kelleher. They know him very well and whenever he played for Liverpool, he was always very dependable.”

For Iraola, the equation is blunt. If Alisson stays, Kelleher would only return to fight for the gloves if he believes he can win them. If Alisson goes, the Irishman suddenly looks like the most straightforward – and familiar – solution.

Centre-back shortage points back to Brentford again

The goalkeeper puzzle isn’t Iraola’s only early headache. At centre-back, the numbers are stark.

Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez stand as his only senior options in the position following the departure of Ibrahima Konate. Behind them, Liverpool have high hopes for Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, but both are working their way back from serious injuries. Potential, yes. Immediate security, no.

That shortage has prompted Townsend to point Liverpool back towards Brentford for a second time, this time for Bees captain Nathan Collins.

“He's done really well, Nathan Collins,” Townsend said. “I know that Spurs have just signed (Marcos) Senesi from Bournemouth. I think Nathan Collins would have been a good fit for them.”

Collins has grown into his role at Brentford, ironing out flaws that once threatened to hold him back.

“A boy playing in London, going to another London club, that can help,” Townsend noted of the Spurs links, before turning to the defender’s development. “I think he could be a very talented centre-half. He had too many mistakes in him 18 months ago, but he seems to have eradicated a lot of that. And he's a tall lad, he's quick enough, and he can play. So I think he's ready for an opportunity now to go and show that he can go up a notch. I think he can do it, I really do.”

The fit at Liverpool is obvious on paper: a young, athletic, ball-playing centre-half who has already taken on leadership responsibility in the Premier League and who now captains his club. The question, as Townsend sees it, is financial.

“But whether Liverpool will be that and whether they would pay Brentford the sort of money they would want, I'm not sure, that is the only concern. But I think Nathan's got a lot of ability.”

His assessment of Collins’ defensive edge underlines why top clubs are watching.

“I said a couple of years ago he was a little bit soft with his defensive work, giving away easy goals. I think now he's got better in that respect. There is a more ruthless element to what he's doing defensively now, he's a bit more solid.

“Because of that, I think certainly there's a number of clubs that could do with a player like him and would benefit.”

Iraola’s early test

So Iraola’s Liverpool begins with a familiar Premier League theme: recruitment battles, budget calls, and the need to refresh without losing what still works.

Keep Alisson and trust Mamardashvili to grow? Cash in and rebuild with a former understudy who has proved he can carry the weight at this level? Double down on Van Dijk and Gomez, or push hard for Collins before someone else moves first?

Two Brentford players, two very different roles, one clear message. If Liverpool want to move quickly under their new head coach, they may have to look across the division at a club that has quietly developed exactly the kind of players Anfield suddenly needs.