Liverpool may have dropped the ball as chastening Caoimhin Kelleher transfer detail emerges

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Empire Of The Kop or go back to LFC Live.

It’d be fair to say that Brentford picked up one of the bargains of the summer 2025 transfer window when signing Caoimhin Kelleher for a modest fee of £18m including add-ons (Sky Sports).After patiently serving as understudy to Alisson Becker for several years, the Irishman bade farewell to the Reds and relocated to west London, where he’s been the undisputed number 1 under compatriot Keith Andrews.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYIt felt at the time as though the transfer fee didn’t accurately reflect the goalkeeper’s talents, and that view has been exacerbated by his performances for the Bees, who are on course to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history.Liverpool don’t have a buyback clause for KelleherIn a Q&A for The Athletic, James Pearce was asked whether Liverpool included a buyback clause in the deal which saw Kelleher move to Brentford 11 months ago.The journalist clarified that ‘there’s no buyback clause’ for the 27-year-old, whilst also expressing his surprise that ‘bigger clubs didn’t come in for him’.It was added that the Republic of Ireland international ‘had been keen to explore his options’ in the two preceding summers but was persuaded to stay at Anfield before being granted an exit last year in the knowledge that Giorgi Mamardashvili would be arriving on Merseyside.Want more Empire of the Kop coverage?

Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustCould Kelleher make Liverpool regret the terms of that deal?Did Liverpool drop the ball by allowing Kelleher to leave for only £18m (with add-ons) and without agreeing a buyback clause?That feeling is compounded by the inclusion of such a clause in the £35m sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen last summer (Sky Sports), with the Reds granting themselves that safety net whilst also reaping double of what they’ll receive for the Irish goalkeeper.The 27-year-old has voiced his belief that the timing was right to depart Anfield last summer after so many seasons of deputising for Alisson and with only one year left on his contract, and it would’ve been difficult to begrudge him the opportunity to become a fixed first-choice elsewhere. Kelleher Alisson Mamardashvili Appearances 35 34 18 Minutes played 3,180 3,026 1,532 Goals conceded 45 36 29 Minutes per goal conceded 70.67 84.05 52.83 Clean sheets 10 13 3 Clean sheet percentage 28.6% 38.2% 16.67% Kelleher’s performance figures from this season have been superior to Mamardashvili’s, and while that isn’t to denigrate the efforts of the Georgian stopper, it highlights how strongly the Brentford man has been performing with a full campaign of football under his belt rather than sporadic appearances.Selling the Irishman wasn’t a mistake per se, especially when he’d been so patient in waiting for his chance to go elsewhere, but it seems erroneous not to have arranged a buyback clause for him (unless efforts to do so were made but unfulfilled).