Caoimhin Kelleher has aired his frustration at being denied a move away from Liverpool last month
The Reds rejected a late bid from Nottingham Forest for the shot-stopper, after the East Midlands outfit had already failed in a previous attempt to sign the Irishman the previous January.
The 25-year-old is now into his fifth season as Alisson Becker’s number two, and has made no secret of his desire to go out and be a first-choice goalkeeper elsewhere
He made a career-best 26 appearances for Liverpool last season in the absence of the injured Brazilian, but is yet to feature under new head coach Arne Slot.
The Reds did sign a new goalkeeper this summer after agreeing a £29m deal with Valencia for Giorgi Mamardashvili, though the Georgia international won’t move to Anfield until next summer.
Reacting to the transfer, Kelleher conceded that it looked as though Liverpool were planning for life without him as the frustrated Irishman hinted that it had not been his decision to stay put at Anfield this summer.
Kelleher
“I think I’ve made it clear in the last few years that I want to go and be a number one and play week in, week out,”
“The club have made that decision to get another goalkeeper in as well which, obviously from the outside looking in, looks like they’ve made a decision to go in a different direction.
“So yeah, my ambitions have always been clear and has been clear the last few seasons that I want to go and be a number one and play week in, week out.
“Sometimes from the outside looking in, it looks like maybe that’s 100% my decision but maybe at times it's not always in my hands as well.
“My ambition is to go out and play and be a number one. It's been reported that Liverpool had rejected a few bids as well.
“Like I say, it's not always in my hands to fully make the decision.
"My ambition is clear. I think I’m good enough and I want to go out and prove it and play week in, week out."
Slot had previously explained Liverpool’s decision to retain Kelleher’s services despite the goalkeeper’s desire to move on.
“Maybe (he has to think of himself), but we have to make decisions as well,”
“It’s not only the player. If you work at a club like Liverpool, you need competition and you need a lot of good players.
“Like I said, Mamardashvili is someone for the long-term future of the club and I’m really, really happy with the goalkeepers we have at the moment."
Meanwhile, a first Liverpool outing of the campaign is likely to come at home to West Ham United in the League Cup on September 25.
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