Liverpool player could have ‘important’ role under Iraola despite playing just four times in 25/26 | OneFootball

For those players who only featured sporadically at Liverpool over the past 12 months, the arrival of Andoni Iraola as head coach might offer them a new lease of life at Anfield.

The likes of Federico Chiesa, Rio Ngumoha and returning loanees such as Harvey Elliott and Kostas Tsimikas may be hopeful that the recent change in the dugout could lead to them seeing more game-time for the Reds in the 2026/27 campaign.

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One man who probably won’t have a great deal of minutes on the pitch is Freddie Woodman, our third-choice goalkeeper who made just four appearances last term but stepped up in our hour of need when both Alisson Becker and Giorgi Mamardashvili were injured in April.

Woodman set to have ‘important’ role for Liverpool next season

In an article for The Athletic assessing Liverpool’s options between the sticks for next season, Gregg Evans claimed that the 29-year-old could have an important role to play at Anfield, even if his game-time remains sporadic.

The journalist wrote of Woodman: ‘His performances [in 2025/26] were largely what would be expected from a No 3 ’keeper: reliable and composed, but not perfect.

‘There is no suggestion that Woodman would be considered for a regular starting role, but he will continue to provide important cover again next season as he’s under contract for another year.’

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Woodman has proven very dependable when Liverpool need him

Liverpool fans may have been fearing the worst when, with Alisson already sidelined, Mamardashvili was forced off at 1-1 in the Merseyside derby in April, but it didn’t take long for Woodman to dispel any such worries.

The Croydon native was outstanding on his first Premier League start for the Reds when they beat Crystal Palace at Anfield two months ago, making several superb saves that afternoon and being hailed by Florian Wirtz for an ‘unbelievable‘ performance.

The 29-year-old has gone back to third in the pecking order now that the Brazilian and Georgian are fully fit, though Alisson’s unenviable injury record would suggest that Woodman might well be called upon again next season.

The life of a third-choice goalkeeper is a curious one – you train at 100% all season in the knowledge that your game-time will be sporadic at best, and only likely to arise in case of emergency, but you make sure you’re ready in case it’s your turn to be called upon.

That was very much true of Liverpool’s number 28 in the spring, and while he’s unlikely to feature often in the 2026/27 campaign, he’ll undoubtedly be an important presence in the squad and help to drive high standards behind the scenes at the AXA Training Centre.