'We've seen': Slot explains how Mamardashvili has adjusted to Liverpool role ahead of PL debut vs Chelsea
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Giorgi Mamardashvili will finally make his Premier League debut for Liverpool on Saturday, more than one year after joining the club.The Reds made the slightly surprising decision to sign the Georgian in the summer of 2024, before sending him back on loan to Valencia.With Mamardashvili arriving as perhaps the most accomplished number two goalkeeper in European football, the fact he has been sitting on the bench at Liverpool has been fascinating.That he is back-up to Alisson Becker will not have been a surprise to the 25-year-old, but it is an unusual situation to have a £30m goalkeeper playing second fiddle.Nevertheless, a potentially significant injury to Alisson has meant that Mamardashvili is set to get his chance at Chelsea this weekend.As he prepares to play his first league game since May, Arne Slot has revealed how the No. 25 has adjusted to life as being second-choice this season.Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty ImagesArne Slot happy with Giorgi Mamardashvili ‘adjustment’Despite some suggestions that Mamardashvili would not be happy playing back-up to Alisson this season, the Georgia international is seemingly content with life at Liverpool.His substitute appearance against Galatasaray this week was only his second for the Reds, but his patience is set to be rewarded with a run in the team during Alisson’s absence.READ MORE: David Ornstein reveals when Alisson Becker will return for Liverpool following latest injury scanAsked during his pre-Chelsea press conference how he feels about Mamardashvili coming into the side, Slot said he has seen signs that the former Valencia man is a ‘quality goalkeeper.’“I think we’ve seen against Southampton how well he’s adjusted,” said the Liverpool head coach.“We knew we were signing a very good goalkeeper.
When he plays his first game, that’s always the best way of seeing if he’s adjusted well or not, and I think we’ve seen in that game that he’s adjusted really well to our club. “It’s not a surprise because he’s a quality goalkeeper and now he can do what Caoimh [Kelleher] had to do so many times in the past, hopefully in a way Caoimh has before.”Is Mamardashvili Liverpool’s future number one?Slot’s reference of Kelleher is an interesting one, as it is inevitable that Mamardashvili will be compared to the former back-up goalkeeper.But while there were always some lingering question marks over whether Kelleher was truly good enough to take over from Alisson when the time came, Mamardashvili is expected to make that jump.Whether he does or not will obviously depend on how he performs when given a chance.
The next six weeks or so will not answer those questions completely, but they will give Liverpool fans a strong idea.No matter how well Mamardashvili does, though, it is very likely that Alisson will return to first-choice duties once his injury is healed.Beyond that, if Mamardashvili can put in a string of statement performances, he will strengthen his grip on his status as Alisson’s successor.