Giorgi Mamardashvili has been cautioned that he’ll need to exercise patience upon his arrival at Liverpool, as displacing Alisson Becker from the number one spot will be “quite difficult”.
The Georgian international is set to join the Reds this summer following a $38 million (£29 million) agreement that was made with Valencia last year. At 24 years old, Mamardashvili will enter a competitive goalkeeping roster at Anfield, which includes the Republic of Ireland’s Caoimhin Kelleher and Czechia’s Vitezslav Jaros.
Although Kelleher might be on his way out in the summer, Alisson remains committed to Liverpool, at least until 2027, and he is even thought to be considering a contract extension. The Brazilian remains among the very elite players in his position in the world.
Adrian, a former Liverpool keeper who clocked up 26 appearances over five years at Anfield, has suggested that Mamardashvili can gain much from training alongside such elite keepers, despite possibly having to wait for his chance to shine regularly.
“As a player, your role at a football club changes, and you have to learn to adapt,” Adrian remarked. “But I always made sure I was ready if the manager needed me.
“I would give Giorgi Mamardashvili the same advice. What he has to remember is, Liverpool have Brazil and the Republic of Ireland’s number one goalkeepers.
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“It will be quite difficult for him to play as a number one, but he’s young and has a lot to learn. We don’t know if he’ll be part of Liverpool’s squad next season, or return to Valencia or another club on loan. But having Alisson in front of you is a good chance to keep learning.”
Adrian, in conversation with The Athletic, shared: “Something similar happened to me at West Ham. Jussi Jaaskelainen was there after I signed, and in the first few months, I didn’t play.
“I was thinking: ‘Why did I come here when I’m not even playing? I was number one at my old club Real Betis, why have I come here?’. But then I realized that period of watching Jaaskelainen helped me as well.
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“I gained that extra hunger from not playing, and I noted how I could improve on what Jaaskelainen was doing. Footballers can be selfish, we want to play all the time, but that isn’t always possible.
“So Mamardashvili just needs to remain patient and be prepared. At some point, his time will come.”
Liverpool.com says: Mamardashvili is a top up-and-coming goalkeeper but it has always felt likely that he would arrive at the same time as Alisson being there. He will essentially be the Kelleher replacement for the time being, assuming he doesn’t head out on loan again.
In the long term, Mamardashvili has already made it clear that he wants to be the number one at Anfield, and that will be the plan. Right now, though, he is going to have to wait and bide his time.