Nuno Espirito Santo, Nottingham Forest’s head coach, is ready to offer the Reds permission to sign an international goalkeeper this summer.
This season, the Reds and goalkeepers have developed a love-hate relationship. Forest have used three goalkeepers, with varied degrees of success.
Matt Turner started the season as the number one and appeared to be the number one when Espirito Santo joined the team.
However, a spate of high-profile errors prompted the head coach to make the change, with Odysseas Vlachodimos doing little to impress either.
The Greek international joined from Benfica on transfer deadline day in the summer, but was unable to make an impact in five Premier League appearances.
Matz Sels is now the number one after joining from Strasbourg for £5 million this summer. Sels received fantastic praises for Belgium last month and will be the starting goalkeeper this season.
However, a familiar link with Forest has been raised once more, and Espirito Santo is eager to bring the player to the City Ground this summer.
Espirito Santo wants Forest to sign Liverpool’s stopper Caoimhin Kelleher
According to the Daily Mail, Espirito Santo appears to want Forest to return to the market for a goalkeeper, and he prefers Kelleher.
The 25-year-old is almost certain to depart Liverpool in the summer, with the player eager to begin playing football on a regular basis.
Celtic has also been linked with a bid for the Republic of Ireland international, and both clubs could potentially provide frequent action.
Kelleher has really earned a lengthy run in the Liverpool squad this season, appearing in the Carabao Cup final.
With Alisson out injured, he made eight consecutive Premier League starts before returning to the bench on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp is a big fan of Kelleher, calling him ‘amazing’ after his heroics earlier in the 2023-24 season.
Kelleher might be the City Ground star for many years.
This feels similar to the scenario with Dean Henderson last summer, and Forest just cannot afford to make the same mistakes.
Forest did not believe the money was worth it for Henderson, and while he flourishes at Crystal Palace, the Reds face relegation once more.
A younger, more trustworthy goalkeeper is needed in the future, and Turner and Vlachodimos, in our opinion, are surplus to requirements.
Kelleher is the type of goalkeeper who, at 25, has the potential to star for Forest for many years and see his value improve.
In the larger scheme of things, the player is unlikely to cost a fortune, and Forest will want to act fast to sign Kelleher if Premier League football is secured.