Andoni Iraola's Liverpool Challenge: Goalkeepers and Defence

Andoni Iraola has barely had time to find his parking space at the AXA Training Centre, but the scale of his first Liverpool in-tray is already clear. Right near the top: the goalkeepers and the heart of his defence.

The 43-year-old has signed a two-year deal to take charge after Arne Slot’s sacking, and he walks into a club still built around Alisson Becker – at least for now. Liverpool triggered an option earlier this year to extend the Brazilian’s contract to the end of next season, yet Juventus have circled with intent.

Slot had hinted the club might face a decision on Alisson this summer. The message from inside Anfield, though, has long been that Liverpool want their No.1 to stay. Reports in Brazil now indicate Alisson has chosen to resist Juventus and remain on Merseyside for at least another year.

That single decision could send shockwaves through the rest of the goalkeeping department.

Kelleher’s future back in the spotlight

Giorgi Mamardashvili, who made 20 appearances this season, finds himself in a holding pattern. Claims in Italy suggest his representatives have offered him on loan to Serie A clubs, a sign that the 23-year-old may be bracing for another year behind Alisson if he stays.

Against that backdrop, an old name has re-emerged: Caoimhin Kelleher.

Liverpool sold the Republic of Ireland international to Brentford a year ago for an initial £12.5m. It was framed as a necessary step for a keeper desperate to escape the shadows and play every week. He did exactly that. Kelleher excelled in West London, justifying his decision to walk away from the comfort of the No.2 role at Anfield and chase regular Premier League football.

His form has not gone unnoticed. Former Ireland, Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder Andy Townsend believes the 25-year-old has outgrown Brentford already – and can see a route back to Merseyside if Alisson eventually moves on.

“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 told OLBG. He even drew a sharp comparison with Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez, saying he doesn’t “even come close” to Kelleher.

That’s a striking endorsement. Townsend went further, insisting Brentford “know they've got a good one,” but arguing the next step has to be a club of Liverpool or Chelsea’s stature. The caveat is obvious and crucial: Kelleher will not accept life as a back-up again.

“He doesn't want to go anywhere now where he isn't the number one, he's shown he can handle that,” Townsend said, pointing out that Kelleher is Ireland’s first-choice goalkeeper “by a distance”. The days of 10 or 15 games a season are over for him.

So the equation is simple. If Alisson stays, a Liverpool return makes little sense for Kelleher. If Alisson eventually goes, Townsend believes the Reds “could do a lot worse” than bringing back a keeper they know inside out and trusted whenever he stepped in.

Townsend can “totally see him going to Newcastle and being number one there, or Chelsea.” But the door to Anfield, at least in theory, remains slightly ajar.

Centre-back gap and a Brentford solution

The defensive picture in front of any Liverpool goalkeeper looks just as urgent.

Iraola inherits Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez as his only senior centre-back options after the departure of Ibrahima Konate. The club hold high hopes for youngsters Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, but both are working their way back from serious injuries. Potential, yes. Reliability, not yet.

That’s where another Brentford player enters the conversation: Nathan Collins.

The 23-year-old Bees captain has quietly built his reputation in West London, and Townsend believes he is ready for a bigger stage – one that could, in theory, include Liverpool.

“He's done really well, Nathan Collins,” Townsend said. He even suggested Tottenham might have been a smart move for the defender before they signed Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth, pointing out that a London-to-London switch can ease a player’s transition.

Collins, though, is more than just a convenient postcode. Townsend sees a centre-half who has ironed out the rough edges in his game.

“He had too many mistakes in him 18 months ago, but he seems to have eradicated a lot of that,” he said. “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.”

The question, as always, is price. Brentford do not sell cheaply, and Townsend openly doubts whether Liverpool would be willing to pay what the Bees would demand. But he is in no doubt about Collins’ ceiling.

A couple of years ago, Townsend felt Collins was “a little bit soft” defensively, giving away “easy goals”. Now he sees “a more ruthless element” in the Irishman’s work, a defender who has become “a bit more solid” and far harder to play through.

Because of that evolution, Townsend believes “a number of clubs” would benefit from signing Collins. Liverpool, short on senior centre-backs and in need of fresh legs alongside Van Dijk, fit that description as clearly as anyone.

Iraola, then, starts his reign with a familiar modern Liverpool dilemma: trust what you have and hope it holds, or pay a premium to move early in the market. Two Brentford pillars – Kelleher and Collins – may yet test just how bold he and the club are prepared to be.