Jake O'Brien tips fellow Corkman Caoimhín Kelleher to excel at Brentford
CORK'S FINEST: Jake O’Brien and Caoimhín Kelleher were Merseyside rivals but the defender is glad to see his fellow Corkman in command to become a Premier League mainstay. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Caoimhín Kelleher was excused from Ireland training on Monday with Heimir Hallgrímsson allowing the Corkman to travel to London to complete his €16m move to Brentford.
Liverpool accepted the bid, rising to €22m from incremental add-ons, after the 26-year-old expressed his wish to establish himself as a first-choice goalkeeper.
Kelleher’s decision was framed 12 months ago by the club deciding to purchase Giorgi Mamardashvili on a pre-contract. The Georgian was signed to replace the Irishman as Alisson’s understudy.
Hallgrímsson has started Kelleher in the eight games since he took charge just under a year ago and he’s expected to win his 23rd cap in Friday’s friendly against Senegal.
By then, he’ll have his first new employer since moving to Merseyside a decade ago.
Bees boss Thomas Frank, himself being linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, has lined up Kelleher to succeed Mark Flekken, who's on his way to Bayer Leverkusen.
Jake O’Brien and Kelleher were Merseyside rivals but the defender is glad to see his fellow Corkman in command to become a Premier League mainstay.
He rates him as one of the best across England’s top-flight.
“If the move goes through, it's great for him to become a No. 1 in the Premier League,” the Everton man said in Dublin after Kelleher left camp a day into this window, which concludes away to Luxembourg next Tuesday.
“I think everyone knows how good he is and how high his ceiling is. He can push on and do great things.
“It doesn’t take for me to say how good he is - everyone knows how good he is and what he’s achieved over the last couple of years.
“It was a difficult one because he was No. 2 at Liverpool but got a really good keeper ahead of him.
“He’s definitely up there with the keepers in the Premier League and I think next season he’ll show that, that he’s up there with the best.
“I think he’s proven from the games played for Liverpool that he can be up there with some of the best keepers in the league.”
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