The summer of 2018 was a transformative one for Liverpool Football Club and then-manager Jurgen Klopp. It carries so much weight in hindsight because, in that transfer window, we saw the arrivals of Alisson Becker and Fabinho, from Roma and Monaco respectively.
These arrivals were seen as absolute must-haves for the club that had been struggling to find a top, top class keeper since prime Pepe Reina, as well as having an anchor in front of the defense.
It has now been almost a decade, and we can safely say the Reds have certainly gotten their money's worth, especially for Alisson in goal.
A then-world record transfer fee for a goalkeeper of £66.8 million now looks like an absolute steal in hindsight. Becker became the best goalie in the world, and to this day, is still one of the best one-one-one shot stoppers out there.
It is because of this, despite his recent injury history, talks of his departure should have Liverpool concerned. The club has shown it is not ready for life in a Alisson Becker-less world.
The heir apparent leaves much to be desired
When Liverpool completed the signing of Georgian Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia, it was seen as astute forward thinking from the Reds' hierarchy. At just 23 at the time and coming off of a heroic showing in goal during Euro 2024 for his nation, the deal was considered a big win.
Mamardashvili stayed in Valencia for that season before making the move over to Anfield permanently in 2025.
That season saw him play behind an atrocious defense in La Liga, and his save percentage dipped from 72% the previous season to only a very average 67% during 2024/25.
However, he still showed great promise with his tremendous size, coupled with strong reflexes meaning he was still very formidable in 1v1 moments. It was his poor ball distribution that left a lot to be desired by a lot of experts.
That was seen as something the club could work with him on after his arrival last summer while still having Alisson be the main man in goal.
As it were, because of fitness issues for the Brazilian, he has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season for Liverpool. His save percentage has fallen to 64% which on it's own is a cause for concern, but it has been the aforementioned poor distribution that sticks in the mind.
In the system Arne Slot wants to run, having a keeper comfortable with the ball at his feet is an essential tool to have. Even under the Klopp style, that was a huge weapon.
We all know of Alisson's long range passing exploits to Mo Salah and others. but Mamardashvili does not have anything close to that in his tool bag.
He's looked very nervous on the ball, and when put under pressure, good luck retaining possession.
The ability to play out of the back, quickly or slowly, is almost non-existent right now when he is in net. He has a long pass completion percentage of just 43% in the Champions League this season, which takes away a dangerous element that the Reds have been accustomed to having for years.
While he has had some nice moments, the penalty save against Erling Haaland, among a few others, overall, his debut campaign with Liverpool has not done a lot to convince of his long-term upside.
Poor defense an issue, but not an excuse
There is no question that the standard has dropped this season dramatically in defense for Liverpool. Poor positioning, lack of awareness, and an overall lack of form has seen all the Reds' keepers put into tough spots over and over again.
That certainly has contributed to the modest results we've seen from the Georgian. However, he showed at Valencia that he could still put up stronger numbers, even behind a porous defense.
So, why can he not replicate that yet at Anfield? I'd say that is a loaded question, because he very clearly has talents that suggests an elite ceiling, but the shadow of Alisson Becker looms large.
The Brazilian has saved the club in several high-end situations, and he has done so repeatedly at the highest level. Even the last few years, as his injuries have flared up more and more, when he is on the pitch, there is an extra calm about things.
To be fair, Ali has struggled at times this season as well, but hearing the heavy rumors that he could be moving back to Italy this summer should have everyone on red alert.
His fitness issues have shown us a decent enough sample size of life without Becker in goal, and I don't like what I've seen so far.
Improvement and changes needed
Ultimately, Mamardashvili is eight years younger, and with club icons Salah and Andy Robertson already confirmed to be leaving this summer, it would make sense Alisson would not be far behind.
Things are changing at the club right now, and we are seeing in real-time what life is going to be like in this new generation of faces. Hopefully, it gets much better, and quickly.
The Georgian and Freddie Woodman would be the two names with the first crack to step up if Alisson does leave.
In that scenario, both would need to work on a lot of things from the ground up. Mamardashvili is a solid keeper right now, but if he wants to match even a percentage of the excellence we have seen from his predecessor, he simply has to be better everywhere.
Better play around him will go a long way; but his anticipation, passing, on-ball work and positioning all could use significant upgrades over the summer and moving forward if he wants to succeed here.
As it stands right now, the eye-test and the data tells us that Liverpool should hold on to Alisson Becker for as long as they can. If he does leave, things might get far worse before we can consider them good again.
Add us as a preferred source on Google