Liverpool's £12.5m mistake could cost them the Champions League | OneFootball

Alisson is set to be out of action for a while

Although it was made clear that Giorgi Mamardashvili would be filling in for Alisson ahead of the Reds' Premier League clash against Brighton, fans weren't made aware about how serious the Brazilian's injury was.

And, now that the 'keeper has taken to his Instagram account and has confirmed that he'll be out for a while, fans are starting to get worried.

However, if Arne Slot actually kept Caoimhin Kelleher around rather than moving him on for just £12.5 million (rising to £18 million), Liverpool would be in a much better place.

The Irishman was always on top form when he was called upon and at times, he was even better than Alisson despite being the Reds' back-up 'keeper.

Indeed, Mamardashvili was brought in to be Kelleher's replacement but, since he's had no Premier League experience and has played hardly any games in European competition, it's not hard to tell why he's a worse goalkeeper than the Irishman.

Kelleher would've fit straight into Slot's plans and, since he was Alisson's understudy for many years, he knows exactly what he needs to do to perform and ensure Liverpool win games.

But now, the Reds could end up on the back foot and potentially miss out on winning the Champions League due to this mistake.

Caoimhin Kelleher would have been a better back-up than Giorgi Mamardashvili

Mamardashvili may have performed well in the games that he's played this season but, when Kelleher's performances are taken into account, it's clear who's the better 'keeper.

The Irishman has helped further solidify Brentford's defence whereas Mamardashvili has contributed to the Reds' poor defensive performances.

Indeed, others such as Ibrahima Konate and even Milos Kerkez should also be blamed for their poor form but, it's clear that with a better goalkeeper in net, Liverpool perform much better as, when Alisson is between the sticks, everything feels much more stable.

However, since the Reds needed to raise money, Kelleher was one of the unlucky ones.

At the time, a sale made sense as most people felt like Mamardashvili was just as good as Kelleher but, in reality, that was far from the case.

Hopefully the Georgian can prove the doubters wrong and help lead the Anfield outfit to another Champions League title as, if Alisson is out for an extended period, he's going to be the one called upon.