Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has reacted on social media after a major departure from Anfield was confirmed.
The Reds summer business is already well underway, after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid was confirmed, while Jeremie Frimpong has since arrived in his place from Bayer Leverkusen.
Further exits could be on the horizon, with Darwin Nunez linked with an Anfield exit and Luis Diaz set to be the subject of a major bidfrom Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
In the meantime, the Anfield outfit have confirmed their second sale of the transfer window, as Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher moved to Brentford on Tuesday (3 May) for an initial reported fee of £12.5million [Sky Sports].
Kelleher had been on Liverpool’s books since 2015, and was an impressive back-up to first-choice shot-stopper Alisson when called upon to play in his place over the last few years.
Diogo Jota reacts to Caoimhin Kelleher’s Liverpool exit
Football Insider reported midway through last season that Kelleher wanted to leave Liverpool this summer in order to play more regular first-team football.
He is set to get just that at Brentford under Thomas Frank following Mark Flekken’s departure to Leverkusen, after he put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the West London club.
Liverpool placed their thanks to the 26-year-old for his “contribution to the club’s recent success” on record, while they also wished him “the best of luck for the future”.
One of Kelleher’s now-former teammates Jota has also taken to social media to send a message to the new Bees stopper, saying: “All the best my friend! You’ll be missed,” while also adding a raised-hands celebration emoji to his statement.
Kelleher had to leave Liverpool this summer to make space for Giorgi Mamardashvili
Football Insider verdict
Kelleher made his name as an unsung hero at Liverpool over his years as a first-team player at the club, as he was able to provide stability and quality to the Reds’ starting eleven in Alisson’s absence.
His impressive stand-in performances for the Anfield outfit did not go unnoticed across England, and Football Insider previously reported that both Newcastle United and Chelsea had him on their list of targets ahead of the end of the recent campaign.
The Republic of Ireland international has always been expected to move on this summer after the Reds secured the services of Valencia stopper Mamardashvili last August for a reported initial fee of £25m [BBC Sport].
The Georgian international officially becomes a part of Slot’s squad on 1 July, while his status as a number one keeper in La Liga and at international level means he will surely come in as competition for Alisson, and would have been ahead of Kelleher in the pecking order if he had stayed around on Merseyside.
For a player due to enter the prime of their career at 26-years-old like Kelleher is, it obviously made little sense to stay at Anfield this summer, and so he will be pleased that his future has been secured this early in the window as he looks to nail down a place as a Bees starter for next season.
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