Wolves are reportedly interested in signing a player from Liverpool Jurgen Klopp thought was ‘outstanding’, amid speculation about one Molineux star’s future.
Wolves are seeking to improve the squad ahead of the 2024/25 after finishing in 14th place in the Premier League in 2023/24.
Gary O’Neil did a great job, but ultimately just didn’t have the tools to sustain a challenge for Europe at the end of the season.
Injuries really hindered Wolves, with young and inexperienced players having to fill in. The club also got extremely unlucky with several VAR decisions.
Fans can now look forward to the summer, although the mood right now is low given the decision to hike season ticket prices.
But fans are still looking out for transfer rumours, and it would seem the club have interest in Caoimhín Kelleher from Liverpool…
Wolves interested in Caoimhín Kelleher as speculation mounts over Jose Sa
It has been reported by TEAMtalk that Wolves are interested in Caoimhín Kelleher as a potential replacement for Jose Sa.
It was reported at the weekend that Sa is now ready to leave Wolves after three seasons at the club. His agent Jorge Mendes is said to be sounding out interest, with clubs from Europe and Saudi Arabia keen.
It has previously been reported that some coaches at Wolves are not convinced about Sa, mainly because of his ball-playing and distribution.
So Wanderers are reportedly looking at Liverpool’s current number two Kelleher.
The Republic of Ireland international is reportedly ready to leave Anfield in search of regular minutes.
He managed to play a fair bit last season when Alisson was injured for Liverpool, making 26 appearances across all competitions. But he will struggle to displace the world-class Alissonas the number and so, an exit could be on the cards for him this summer.
Kelleher has opened the door to leaving Anfield, and is keen to be a number one.
Wolves are also again mentioned as possible suitors for Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal, who was first linked with a move to Molineux last year. The England international is no longer the Gunners’ number one, after they signed David Raya.
Kelleher is a better ball-player than Jose Sa
The speculation about Sa just will not go away, which does make you wonder if he could actually be off this summer.
It would be a slight shame, because Sa has shown himself to be a capable Premier League goalkeeper. He has his moments of madness, and can definitely sometimes put his defenders under needless pressure.
But at the same time, he makes some brilliant saves and has won Wolves plenty of Premier League points during his three years at the club.
Perhaps he is thinking about moving on. Maybe Mendes knows of a club that wants him, can offer him the position of number one and can increase his salary.
Kelleher would be a solid replacement for Sa if he did go.
Jurgen Klopp was a big fan of his number two before his departure from Anfield, saying of Kelleher after a game against Brentford in February (via RTE): “He’s outstanding and this year we gave him more games than he had previously. It’s well deserved because we need him, and we need him with rhythm and now the situation around Ali shows that it makes absolutely sense.
“We will see how long Ali is out, but Caoimhin is exceptional. Today he was… wow! It was an A-plus performance.”
As per fbref data, Kelleher’s save percentage in the league in 2023/24 was 71.1% which was only just lower than Sa’s 73.4%. But his pass accuracy was a fair bit higher at 81.2%, compared to 65.6% for Sa.
And interestingly, Kelleher made just one error leading to a goal in the league, whereas Sa made five. Perhaps O’Neil would find a good replacement for the Portuguese in the 25-year-old depending on the asking price.