Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool at Amex Stadium on March 21, 2026 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)placeholder image
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool at Amex Stadium on March 21, 2026 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Liverpool signed the goalkeeper last summer and he is set to again be on the bench against Crystal Palace.
Arne Slot has saluted the promising progress of Armin Pecsi as he prepares to temporarily become Liverpool’s second-choice goalkeeper.
The Reds signed the 21-year-old from Puskas Akademia last summer. Pecsi made 46 appearances in the Hungarian top flight and arrived on Merseyside with an eye on the future.
This campaign, Pecsi has made 16 appearances for Liverpool under-21s. But he finds himself very much promoted to the first team amid a goalkeeping crisis. Alisson Becker remains doubtful for today’s visit of Crystal Palace while Giorgi Mamardashvili was forced off with a nasty wound in last week’s 2-1 win over Everton and has been ruled out.
Freddie Woodman is in line to make a Premier League debut since being signed from Preston North End. And it means that Pecsi will likely be No.2 against Palace. Asked about the Hungary youth international’s development at Liverpool, head coach Slot said: “He was already on the bench last week. Because we were short on players, we added Armin to the bench as well because he was doing the warm-up so there was a spot available so he could be the man.
“Of course, he's on the bench tomorrow. We think we signed a very talented goalkeeper and he already played minutes at the highest level, I think in Hungary, wasn't it? So now he's played multiple games with the U21s and, of course, he gets better and better because if you are every day on the pitch doing finishing drills with the attackers we are having, you are becoming a better goalkeeper. Still very young, still progress to be made, but that's completely normal. But we think we've signed a very talented and good goalkeeper that eventually could definitely play for us.
“If you ask me, do I see him at the level of Alisson? My answer is no, but that's not criticism at all. Let's touch wood, but it would fit this season completely if something would happen with Freddie tomorrow, then if Armin then comes in, I'm completely comfortable. He's very comfortable on the ball, has a very good instinct and he reads the game really well, so he knows where the shot would go to and that I like a lot. If he needs to come on, if Alisson is not ready to play tomorrow and Freddie needs to start and something might happen, I'm completely comfortable bringing him in.”
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