Arne Slot has warned Giorgi Mamardashvili that he will not be immediately handed the no.1 jersey at Liverpool next season, despite Liverpool’s £29million ($37) outlay on the player.
A deal to sign the goalkeeper from Valencia was secured last year but his arrival was deferred for 12 months, meaning he will join Liverpool ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. Seen as one of the world’s most promising young goalkeepers, few would expect Mamardashvili’s next step in his career to be a back-up role.
But it’s also hard to imagine Slot dislodging Alisson from his starting role at present, especially on the back of his incredible display against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. The Brazilian made nine saves to deny PSG – a record for a Liverpool goalkeeper in the Champions League – and was hailed as the world’s best by Slot and Virgil van Dijk.
It does pose a question of where Mamardashvili fits into Liverpool’s plans, something the manager is reluctant to discuss.
“I think he is at Valencia and they are in just as important a phase of the season as we are in, so it wouldn’t be smart for me to talk about a player that maybe belongs to us but is in such an important part of the season at Valencia,” Slot said on Friday when asked about Mamardashvili’s imminent arrival.
“But in general I can say if you want to play for Liverpool, you have to accept that there is competition. That is not only Liverpool but that is in every Premier League club at the moment because of all the money that is in this league but in Liverpool if you don’t want to face competition then it is not the best place to go to.”
The reference to competition for places could be a hint that Mamardashvili will not immediately command the no.1 jersey when he arrives, even if Alisson will turn 33 next season.
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“To become the world’s best you make saves others don’t and he had one or two of them on Wednesday,” Slot said separately on Friday when asked about Alisson’s display in Paris.
“I don’t think he needs that [competition], he is just a top professional like all the boys here. They know what it means to wear this shirt, you have to bring top performances otherwise you can’t play for this club.”
While the incumbent Liverpool stopper has enjoyed another stellar season, his potential long-term replacement has not. Valencia currently sits 18th in La Liga and is in the grips of a relegation fight. Only bottom-place Real Valladolid has conceded more goals this term, with Mamardashvili allowing 4.6 more shots in than his expected save ratio.
His goalkeeper selection is a problem that Slot can temporarily put on hold, but the Dutchman knows a big and unpopular decision awaits this summer, no matter who starts the campaign between the sticks.
