Liverpool want to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia at the end of the season.
Valencia manager Carlos Coberan has revealed that he will privately assess Giorgi Mamardashvili’s performance, as the Liverpool-bound goalkeeper’s position remains under scrutiny.
Last summer, the Reds agreed to a deal with the Spanish club to sign Mamardashvili. It was agreed that the 24-year-old would stay at Valencia for the 2024-25 season before moving to Anfield in July 2025 for a fee that could reach £29 million.
Despite Alisson Becker’s established status as No.1 and Caoimhin Kelleher as backup, Liverpool seized the opportunity to recruit one of Europe’s most promising young goalkeepers. However, Mamardashvili’s strong performance for Georgia at Euro 2024, combined with his outstanding 2023-24 campaign at Valencia, prompted the Reds to act.
However, this season has not been easy for the former Dinamo Tbilisi goalkeeper. Valencia is in a relegation battle in La Liga and is currently ranked 18th. Yesterday, they were held to a 3-3 tie with Osasuna. Los Che manager Coberan was asked about Mamardashvili’s performance and replied (via Super Deporte): “I don’t like to publicly evaluate the individual performance of each player, but I do it privately. We make up for any poor performances with a lot of effort.”
The Spanish media verdict
In a different piece, Super Deporte stated that Mamardashvili is “a shadow of the one from a year ago.” Meanwhile, AS Diario reached a similar conclusion, saying Mamardashvili might have done better with two of Osasuna’s goals. It stated: “Mamardashvili has not been a miracle-working goalkeeper for quite some time. He has become mundane. In Aimar’s two goals, he gave the sense that Mamardashvili of old would have done more, and in Budimir’s penalty, he dove to the side where the Croatian rarely takes them.
“Sooner or later, a dispute will break out, and if it hasn’t already, it’s due of the Georgian’s respect, as well as the fact that Dimitrievski did not have his day against Barcelona in the Cup. However, if Mamardashvili continues in this manner, the topic will become open. Quite the contrary to Sadiq, who has won his.” In addition, Marca gave Mamardasvhili a one-star player rating.
What did Mamardasvhili say?
Mamardashvili did not join Liverpool last summer because he would have been behind Alisson in the pecking order, so he remained at Valencia to continue playing regular games.
Alisson is widely recognized as one of the top goalkeepers in the world. Since joining Liverpool from AS Roma for £67 million in 2018, he has helped the club win seven major titles, including the Champions League and Premier League. This season, Alisson is on course to win his second league title at Anfield, as Arne Slot’s side leads the table by 13 points.
He has one year left on his current deal, with the option for an additional 12 months. However, Mamardashvili has previously stated that he will fight to dethrone Alisson for a starting spot. He explained: “I was drawn to the Liverpool initiative as soon as the club’s representatives met with me. Even if the present goalie does not depart, I intend to compete for the starting position.”
