'What I saw is crazy': New Liverpool signing left stunned after witnessing how good his teammates are
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Giorgi Mamardashvili is finally gearing up to make his Liverpool debut in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
The Georgian has had a longer wait than most to play officially for the Reds, having initially signed from Valencia in August 2024.
Mamardashvili‘s patience is set to be rewarded with a start between the sticks as Liverpool face Southampton at Anfield.
The goalkeeper will be one of a raft of changes employed by Arne Slot, with Liverpool hoping to make it to Wembley for the third successive season.
For Mamardashvili, it has been a very gentle easing in to life on Merseyside.
He knew he’d be playing second fiddle to Alisson Becker, and that has very much been the case so far.
But as Alisson gets himself a well-earned rest in midweek, Mamardashvili has been hailing the quality of player he has been faced with since arriving at Liverpool.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
For almost any other team in the Premier League, Mamardashvili would be a certain starter.
That he has to sit behind Alisson in the Liverpool squad speaks to how good the Brazilian is, but also what a good mentality the new number two must have.
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Certainly, any suggestion that Mamardashvili is unhappy playing back-up appears to have been washed away.
As his latest interview with Liverpoolfc.com demonstrates, he is loving life with the Reds so far.
“Really good people,” the Georgia international says of his new teammates in particular.
“Ali helped me a lot to improve.
I knew it before but what I saw is crazy, it’s really crazy.”
One interesting point about Mamardashvili’s arrival at Liverpool is that he has taken a slightly unorthodox number for a goalkeeper.
The 24-year-old will sport the number 25 when he makes his debut on Tuesday.
Although this is not an ordinary number for a goalkeeper, it does have form in Liverpool history.
Pepe Reina wore it on his back for eight years as a Red, winning the FA Cup and League Cup and contributing to an excellent period under Rafael Benitez.
And although Mamardashvili says it was not his intention to honour Reina, he has actually met the former Liverpool goalkeeper.
“My father was a goalkeeper as well, so he played with 25.
He’s a very good guy, very good person and a very good goalkeeper as well.”