Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili and he is set to officially complete his move to Anfield on 1 July.
It’s a deal that Kopites have known about for some time.
Richard Hughes used the word ‘opportunistic’ during his first summer as Liverpool’s sporting director. With Arne Slot happy with the squad that he inherited from Jurgen Klopp, the focus was instead on seizing any potential transfer that presented itself.
Swooping for Federico Chiesa for £10 million was a calculated gamble. Only three years prior, Juventus had valued the winger in excess of €100 million before his injury problems. With one year left on his deal at the Serie A giants and having been frozen out of their plans, he was sold to the Reds.
Granted, Chiesa was a bit-part player as Liverpool claimed the Premier League title in Slot’s first season. But Hughes would have known that the Reds would make their money back even with a sale of Chiesa 12 months later. And had he recaptured the form that inspired Italy to Euro 2020 glory, it would have been vaunted as a genius decision. It was win-win.
Mamardashvili deal
Liverpool also pulled the trigger on a deal they seemingly could not pass up by securing Giorgi Mamardashvili. In truth, the Reds' goalkeeping department was one of their strongest assets. Alisson Becker is arguably the best in the world while Caoimhin Kelleher was dubbed the greatest No.2 on the planet by Klopp. Given Kelleher had spoken of his frustrations about being a deputy, there were a few furrowed brows raised when Liverpool agreed to sign Mamardashvili from Valencia for up to £29 million.
There was no-one denying that the Reds had recruited a top talent. His performances for Georgia at Euro 2024 were magnificent and helped them reach the last 16. But it was clear that Liverpool were planning for the future and they had the chance to steal a march ahead of any rival.
Reports suggested that Valencia required sales to comply with financial rules. Liverpool took advantage. It’s likely that they hey would likely have known Kelleher would be leaving this summer with a year left on his deal. The Republic of Ireland international has been sold to Brentford for £18 million. And while Alisson still commands the role of first choice, he has two years left on his current contract. The 32-year-old has spoken about returning hos boyhood club Internacional in Brazil when he’s still operating at the peak of his powers.
Anyone who watched Mamardashvili for Valencia in 2023-24 would have been impressed. Plenty would have taken note during the Euros, with the highlight being Georgia’s victory over Portugal before losing to Spain in the knockout stage. And while he had ups and downs in 2024-25, he ended the campaign strongly as Los Ches avoided a La Liga relegation battle and finished 12th.
And tomorrow (1 July), Mamardashvili will officially become a Liverpool player. He’s said his goodbyes in Spain and now prepares to represent the Premier League champions. “These have been four incredible years here in Valencia, with a lot of hard work, many good days, and some bad ones too,” at the end of last season. “But what really matters are these four years for my career. I want to thank all the people who work at the club and all the teammates I’ve had.
“It’s very emotional. It’s the summary of my work over these four years. Honestly, when I arrived, I couldn’t have dreamed that a day like today would come. Valencia made my career as a goalkeeper. I’m very proud to have defended this badge.”
Goalkeeping changes
Mamardashvili is expected to be present for the first day of pre-season on 8 July. He has already insisted that he won’t head out on loan and that he’s willing to fight for his starting berth. The 24-year-old may have to be patient behind Alisson and is possibly earmarked for Carabao Cup games. However, Alisson has had injury problems in recent seasons, with Kelleher making 10 league outings en route to the top-flight crown.
The former Dinamo Tbilisi will arrive as the third new keeper at Liverpool this summer. The Reds have recruited Hungarian youngster Armin Pecsi for £1.5 million from Puskas Akademia and agreed a deal for Freddie Woodman on a free transfer after his exit from Preston North End. Woodman joins to help fill the locally-trained quota in the Champions League with Viteslav Jaros moving to Dutch giants Ajax on a season-long loan, while Harvey Davies has completed a temporary move to Crawley Town.
Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong have both arrived from Bayer Leverkusen, with the former costing a club-record £100 million, and Milos Kerkez has completed a switch from AFC Bournemouth for £40 million.
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