Liverpool could well find themselves in the market for a new goalkeeper come the summer.
While Caoimhin Kelleher has been heralded as ‘the best number two goalie in the world,’ by manager Jurgen Klopp, there is an acceptance that sooner or later it would be best for the Republic of Ireland international to leave Anfield in search of starting football. After all, with Alisson Becker the Reds’ undisputed first-choice and only 30 years old, Liverpool won’t have such a vacancy again for a number of years and can’t keep the 24-year-old on the bench, waiting in the wings forever.
Meanwhile, third-choice goalkeeper Adrian is out of contract in the summer and could well leave on a Bosman transfer. Initially signed to serve as Alisson’s understudy in 2019, the Spaniard admittedly played his part as Liverpool won the Premier League in his first season at the club.
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However, he has since fallen behind Kelleher in the pecking order and made just two appearances in the past 18 months. But even if the Irishman did leave, the 36-year-old is unlikely to be promoted back to number two, with reports suggesting that the Reds’ search for a new back-up goalkeeper is currently underway.
Liverpool were linked with SV Sandhausen goalkeeper Patrick Drewes late last year, only for the 29-year-old to sign a contract extension, ahead of his deal expiring in the summer, with the 2.Bundesliga side last month. Meanwhile, they continue to be linked with Hannover 96 shot-stopper Ron-Robert Zieler, who is also out of contract at the end of the season and offers the added bonus of counting towards the Reds’ home grown quota due to his time with Manchester United.
The 33-year-old would actually qualify as home-grown and ‘association-trained’ to further bolster the Reds’ quotas for Premier League and European action, courtesy of starting his senior career at Old Trafford. While he never actually made an appearance for the Red Devils, he joined them from FC Koln in July 2005 when still only 16, and enjoyed five seasons in their youth ranks before returning to Germany and first signing for Hannover 96 in 2010.
With clubs required to name at least eight home-grown players if they wish to name a full 25-man Premier League squad, and at least four ‘association-trained’ and four ‘club-trained’ players to name a full 25-man squad for European competition, the attraction of signing Zieler is obvious. A number of clubs boast a home-grown back-up goalkeeper to aid such quotas, with former Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson an obvious example at Man City.
Yet the Reds aren’t just in need of home-grown players. In truth they need to specifically enhance their club-trained numbers too, with Liverpool only possessing three such players this season (Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, and Kelleher) and seven home-grown players over the age of 21 altogether. Yet from that septet, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are out of contract come the summer, while both Nat Phillips and Kelleher could leave for starting football elsewhere.
So, with that in mind, while a home-grown replacement for Kelleher and/or Adrian would obviously be beneficial for Liverpool, why not go the full hog and re-sign a ‘club-trained’ option instead? A number of goalkeepers who came through the Reds academy have enjoyed successful careers since leaving Anfield, after all.
The most obvious candidate is Peter Gulacsi. The Hungary international moved to Anfield, initially on loan, from MTK Budapest in 2007 when 17 years old before signing permanently the following year. While he'd never make a senior appearance for the Reds, he was on the bench a number of times before he joined Red Bull Salzburg in 2013.
The 32-year-old has thrived as part of the Red Bull group, helping Salzburg win two league and cup doubles in 2013/14 and 2014/15 before moving to RB Leipzig. Helping them win promotion to the Bundesliga in his first season with the club, he has been first-choice ever since and made 284 appearances to date.
Now Leipzig captain, Gulacsi has helped Leipzig establish themselves as Champions League regulars, while he led them to a DFB-Pokal cup win last season. With such a CV, he would be a competent back-up to Alisson, if he wasn’t against serving as a number two goalkeeper.
However, the Hungarian has admittedly been sidelined since October with an ACL injury. Under contract until 2025, it remains to be seen if he can reclaim his first-choice status when he returns to fitness or whether he’d even consider a return to Liverpool.
Martin Hansen is also an option, with the 32-year-old currently back in his native Denmark for Odense Boldklub. The goalkeeper was 16 when he joined Liverpool's academy from Brondby in 2006, and spent six years with the club before returning to his homeland with Viborg in January 2012.
Since then he has gained varied experience in Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Norway, lining up for Nordsjaelland, Den Haag, FC Ingolstadt, SC Heerenveen, Basel, Stromsgodset, and Hannover 96. Boasting brief Champions League and Europa League experience, such a CV is perhaps similar to the likes of previous rumoured target Drewes. As a result, if willing to serve as a back-up option, Hansen could also tick Liverpool boxes.
The third option is current Reading goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis. The Australian joined Liverpool in 2007 when 16 years old, with former manager Rafa Benitez labelling him 'the best goalkeeper in the world for his age'. He would leave for Oldham Athletic four years later and has since enjoyed a varied career in Greece, Holland, and back in his native Australia.
However, the 32-year-old has enjoyed an impressive resurgence since returning to England in recent years. He joined Sutton United in 2020 and helped them win promotion to the Football League for the first time before narrowly missing out on the League Two play-offs. He joined Reading last June and has made six appearances for the Championship club to date as he serves as their back-up goalkeeper.
A boyhood Reds fan, a return to Anfield is perhaps not the next ‘obvious’ step for Bouzanis. But with him proving his talent again in the English leagues, he could be a suitable replacement for Adrian while, like the aforementioned pair, also boosting Liverpool’s home-grown quotas.
Of course, there is no suggestion of the Reds looking to re-sign any of the trio at this time, with it unlikely that Liverpool are shopping in such a limited pool when it comes to recruiting their next back-up goalkeepers. But if they do want to boost their home-grown quota, the likes of Gulacsi are perhaps worth considering as they kill two birds with one stone, by providing an added bonus as ‘club-trained’, while serving as deputy to Alisson if Kelleher or Adrian indeed move on in the near future.
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