In surprising news, Liverpool announced they have offered a veteran goalkeeper Adrian a new contract. The 37-year-old hasn’t played a competitive game for the Reds since the 2022 Community Shield win against Manchester City.
Last Word on Football looks at why the move makes sense despite the Spaniard seeming surplus to requirements at Anfield.
Adrian New Contract Helps Liverpool Keep Continuity
Liverpool’s Goalkeeping Department Looks Set for Change
Adrian has had an inactive five years as a Liverpool player, he has made only 26 appearances in all competitions and has slowly slipped down the pecking order. However, he has become a constant part of a goalkeeping department that is set for major change this summer.
Goalkeeper coach John Achterberg and assistant Jack Robinson followed Jurgen Klopp in leaving the club. This means that only Claudio Taffarel, who also works with Alisson for Brazil, remains on the senior goalkeeping staff.
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Further movement between the sticks could come if Caoimhin Kelleher wishes to become a first-choice goalkeeper. The Irishman delivered several excellent performances when stepping in for the injured Alisson.
In an interview with the Athletic, Kelleher said: “Whether it’s here at Liverpool or somewhere else, I do feel the next step for me is to be a number one.” The 25-year-old wants to make the next step in his career, meaning the Reds will need a new backup goalkeeper.
All this change could unsettle Alisson or make it hard for any academy goalkeeper to make the step up to the first team. The retention of Adrian will mean there is a familiar face who knows the standards that need to be set in Liverpool’s goalkeeper department.
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The Reds’ new backup goalkeeper could be Vitezslav Jaros, who is returning from a successful loan spell at Sturm Graz. The 22-year-old, who won a league and cup double in Austria, will get a chance to impress Arne Slot in preseason. However, if the Czech goalkeeper doesn’t meet the standard or the team gets an attractive offer for his services, keeping Adrian stops them from having an academy goalkeeper on the bench at the start of the season.
Ten Players Leave as Liverpool Head Toward New Era
Liverpool’s retained list confirmed the departure of ten first-team and academy players following the expiry of their contract.
As announced in May, Thiago and Joel Matip are set to leave Anfield. Thiago featured 98 times for the Reds after his highly anticipated move from Bayern Munich in 2020. Matip became a cult hero for Liverpool after joining on a free from Schalke in 2016.
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Adam Lewis, Melkamu Frauendorf, and Mateusz Musialowski will all leave the club after only making a handful of appearances for the first team. In the academy, Nathan Giblin, Francis Gyimah, Luke Hewitson, Niall Osborne, and Cody Pennington will all leave after failing to earn a professional deal.
Alongside Adrian, academy goalkeepers Jacob Poytress and Reece Trueman have been offered new deals.
