Shay Given Supports Kelleher as Key Goalkeeping Solution for Chelsea or Newcastle

Shay Given has seen enough. From his vantage point as a former elite goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher no longer looks like a talented understudy. To him, the Brentford and Republic of Ireland No.1 is ready to walk straight into the starting XI at a Champions League-chasing club.

And he believes Chelsea or Newcastle should be queuing up.

Speaking to BOYLE Sports, Given made it clear that Kelleher’s next move could reshape the goalkeeping picture at the top end of the Premier League.

“Could Chelsea or Newcastle come in for Kelleher this summer? Possibly,” he said. “It would depend on Liverpool and whether they can activate any sort of clause to sign him themselves to stop another club picking him up.”

That is the crux of it. Liverpool still hold the keys.

Liverpool’s dilemma: Alisson, Mamardashvili and the Kelleher question

At Anfield, the goalkeeping hierarchy remains defined by one man. Alisson is still the undisputed first choice, and as long as that remains the case, Given struggles to see how Kelleher fits back into the picture.

“A lot will depend on Allison because you wouldn't bring Kelleher back right now if Alisson's staying for the next two seasons,” he pointed out.

Liverpool have already moved to secure Giorgi Mamardashvili, the Georgian international who arrived with a sizeable reputation and the expectation he could one day take the gloves from Alisson. Given, though, is not convinced the succession plan is that straightforward.

“Mamardashvili arrived at Liverpool with a big reputation and he’s done okay so far but I’m still not convinced that he is going to be the future number one after Alisson,” he said. “I am now even more convinced about Kelleher given he’s proven he can be number one at Brentford and he obviously knows Liverpool inside and out.”

In Given’s eyes, Liverpool already had their heir apparent. They just allowed him to prove it somewhere else.

Chelsea’s unresolved problem

If Liverpool hesitate, Chelsea could pounce. They have spent heavily on goalkeepers since 2018, but the position still feels unsettled.

Given cannot quite believe they have not already moved.

“I think Keller would be well-suited for Newcastle right now. I think he'd be well suited for Chelsea too,” he said. “Chelsea are the club who have surprised me a little bit by not bringing someone in, and I say that as someone who does like Robert Sanchez.”

He does like Sanchez. Just not the mistakes.

“I stuck up for him a lot last season but he does keep going over old ground with some of the mistakes he makes,” Given admitted. “He can pull off some unbelievable saves and you think this guy’s the real deal only for him to have a mad rush of blood to the head at the edge of the box and halve someone in two.”

That volatility has become a problem for a Chelsea side desperate for stability. Too many “rush of blood” moments. Not enough calm.

Given is adamant the club cannot kick the can down the road again.

“I feel that signing a new goalkeeper is something that could happen at Chelsea this summer, and if it’s not Kelleher maybe it’ll be someone else, but that’s a position they need to strengthen in this window, not the next window, but now.”

With Xabi Alonso now in charge at Stamford Bridge, the scrutiny on Sanchez will only intensify.

“Xabi Alonso is in place now and he might have seen enough from Robert Sanchez. I’m not sure,” Given said. “I definitely think Newcastle and Chelsea want the strength in that position and Kelleher would be a good signing for either of them.”

Calm in the chaos

What makes Kelleher so attractive to these clubs? For Given, it is not just the saves. It is the manner in which he makes them.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he could come back to the club and what I like about Kelleher is that he brings a real calmness to everything he does,” Given explained. “He never seems fazed or fluffed up about anything. He could make the best save in the world and just get up like nothing has happened and set about organising his defenders for a corner.”

That temperament has come into sharp focus at Brentford, where Kelleher has finally been exposed to the relentless rhythm of first-team football. No cup cameos. No sporadic starts. Just the weekly grind of the Premier League.

Kelleher has handled it.

“I think he’ll continue to develop as a player. I hope he stays at Brentford for at least another season. It’ll do him no harm,” Given said. “He’s proving to everyone that he has what it takes to play regularly every week, and that comes with a different side of pressure than being on the bench and coming in and out of the team.”

Behind the scenes, too, the Irishman is ticking the right boxes.

“He’s already working on other stuff away from the pitch, in the gym and training, to build up his upper body strength to improve and get better, and he will. I only see positive things for the future for Caoimhin.”

That is the profile top clubs crave: technically secure, mentally steady, physically improving.

Chelsea, in particular, need exactly that. A goalkeeper who quietens games instead of igniting them. A presence that settles defenders instead of making them glance anxiously over their shoulders.

If Liverpool choose Alisson and Mamardashvili as their future, Kelleher will be there for someone else. The question now is whether Chelsea or Newcastle are bold enough to move for a goalkeeper who no longer looks like a deputy, but a cornerstone.