Irish national goalkeeper Kelleher, who switched to Brentford from Liverpool this summer, recently accepted an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph.
Kelleher was injured in training and missed Brentford's last preseason game. Although he has resumed training, he still needs to be evaluated. It is doubtful to play in the first round of the Premier League this weekend.
Last season and the last season, Kelleher has heard such comments: he is the best second goalkeeper in the Premier League, a guarantee that Liverpool does not need to worry about when Allison is absent, but in terms of appearance picks, he is always behind the world's best goalkeeper.
"Of course, I have heard this a lot," Kellech said. "To be honest, this is a good compliment to some extent. I got a lot of opportunities to play last season and the previous season, so it is a natural improvement for me to be the No. 1 goalkeeper, which is also the goal I have been pursuing for many years. Praise is good, but now, I want to be the real main force and prove to people that I am also an excellent starting goalkeeper."
Kellech got what I wish this summer. He joined Brentford with an initial transfer fee of £12.5 million, signed a five-year contract, replacing Fleken, who transferred to Leverkusen, and became the undisputed Premier League starting goalkeeper. Kellech received a very high evaluation. When his transfer was officially announced in early June, the outside world praised this as perhaps the wisest deal in the summer window. Now it seems that this judgment has not changed.
Unsurprisingly, Brentford has been following Kelleher for a long time, and they believe the 26-year-old goalkeeper is far from reaching his personal potential ceiling. Brentford had his first contact with Kellech long before signing Fleken in 2023. Both sides admire each other, and the Irish national gate admitted that long before leaving Anfield, he began to plan the future and think about his next stop. His original contract with Liverpool is only one year left and it is also a catalyst.
"I almost left the team the summer before yesterday. I had been eager to be the main player all season. Obviously, this summer is the best time for me to transfer. So, last season I focused on the field, worked hard to perform, and played every game well. As the season approached the end, you will naturally start thinking about the plan for the next year and next season. After Brentford expressed his interest, I immediately developed a strong desire, and things went very quickly after that. I was thinking about this all season. I wanted to be the main player and hope it would be realized this season." Kelleher said, "It may seem like that. To be fair, I have been more inclined to transfer in the past few years and trying to be the main force. So, for me, whether to leave the team this season is not critical, but the contract is only one year left, and the time is ripe. The club obviously needs to make a decision, and I need to sell it to cash out."
Kelleher then mentioned the phenomenon that makes him a little dissatisfied at the moment - most TV commentators are biased in the evaluation and analysis of goalkeepers, especially those who have never played the goalkeeper position.
"They are laymen who don't understand this position. I think they may only understand some basics and stick to those things. But there are too many variables behind each goal loss: why the goalkeeper is in this position and why he moves to that area. They don't understand these. It would be great if there were more front goalkeepers to serve as commentators. Joe Hart did a good job, and he could help everyone understand the goalkeeper's position. I know Green (formerly England goal) is also involved in some comments, and maybe a few more people can be brought to you." Kellech said.
won the Premier League championship with Liverpool and his 10 league appearances, which allowed him to "end his career in a perfect way". "There is no more satisfying ending than this," Kelleher said. Before the transfer, Kellech also consulted the advice of former teammate Fabio Carvalho, as well as his friend and Irish national teammate Collins. After Norgao joined Arsenal, Collins became the captain of Brentford.
"I would ask about Brentford before they became interested in me, purely out of curiosity," Kelleher said. "I have always been impressed by their operations, so this time it only further confirmed my initial ideas. This is a club with excellent operations and is undoubtedly developing upward. Their history of developing players is also excellent, which is one of the main attractions for me. Of course, it is also crucial to get a stable chance of playing."
But the question is still there: coach Frank left the team, Mbemo left the team, Norgou left the team, and Visa also wants to leave - is Brentford more vulnerable? Is the team's balance broken? How will it perform this season?
In response to this, Kellech had a clear attitude: "We ranked 10th last season. The club hopes to do better. Perhaps we can attack the European game in the future, which is of great significance to the team. I am full of expectations for this season."
In the end, Kellech actually turned into a goalkeeper at the age of 14. He was favored by Liverpool after only one season. He has been a Reds fan since he was a child. The journey began with the Linmahong Rangers in his hometown of Cork. Before the transformation, Kelleh was a prolific forward (the team's top scorer), and later Lin Mahong's goalkeeper suddenly left the team, and his father suggested that he try to keep the goal.
"I never thought of being a goalkeeper. I loved playing in the frontcourt at that time," Kellech admitted. "I played not badly, and the goalkeeper left the team. I used to play football with my brothers (he was the youngest of five boys, his elder brother Fiaker played as a defender at Cork City, and the other three brothers played Irish hockey). After trying the goalkeeper, I fell in love with this position and never looked back."