Caoimhin Kelleher ‘buzzing’ as he completes £18m move to Brentford from Liverpool | OneFootball

Goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher has left Liverpool to join Brentford in a £18m deal.

It brings to an end a decade at the club, with Liverpool receiving an initial £12.5m for Kelleher and add-ons taking the overall fee to £18m.

The 26-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Bees, with the club holding an option to extend the deal by a further 12 months.

Kelleher is expected to take over as Brentford’s first choice goalkeeper following the departure of Dutch international Mark Flekken, who has joined Bayer Leverkusen for around £11m.

“I’m buzzing, I’m really happy to be here,” said the 26-year-old.

“I don’t think it was very difficult for me to leave [Liverpool]. I felt for my own career that the time was right for me to go, to be a number one and to play every week.

“I heard of some interest a number of weeks ago. Once I knew Brentford was in for me, it was definitely one I was really excited about and wanted to do as quickly as possible.”

The Irishman joined Liverpool from Ringmahon Rangers in 2015, leaves the Merseyside club having made 67 senior appearances, including 25 in the Premier League.

A dependable deputy to Alisson Becker, he earned a reputation as a composed shot-stopper and was particularly instrumental in Liverpool’s domestic cup runs where he memorably scored a penalty in the shootout that decided the 2022 Carabao Cup final.

Over the course of his Liverpool career, Kelleher won an impressive array of silverware including two Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup, two League Cups, and the UEFA Super Cup. He kept 24 clean sheets during his time with the Reds and featured in more than 40 cup matches.

Despite his success, Kelleher has been open about his ambition to play regular first-team football. Speaking last month, he said: “I think I’ve said it before as well that I feel like I’m a number one and I feel like I’m good enough to play week in, week out. That’s what I’m looking to do.”

Kelleher’s arrival signals a fresh start and a chance for the Irishman to establish himself as a first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League.

This season, Kelleher featured in 20 matches for Liverpool, ten of which came in the Premier League. However, his path to more minutes became even more complicated with Liverpool set to welcome Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in July.

The Georgian international is expected to compete with Alisson for the No. 1 spot following a £29m transfer agreed last summer.

His former club Ringmahon Rangers are also set to benefit from the transfer thanks to a 20% sell-on clause included in his original move to Liverpool, netting them a substantial seven figure sum.

Kelleher becomes the second major departure from Liverpool this summer, following former vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold’s £10m move to Real Madrid.