We love Mohamed Salah, and we love Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk too. These are the staples of Liverpool’s rip-roaring successes over the past nine years or so.
Andrew Robertson? Integral at left-back across the duration of Jurgen Klopp’s reign. Alisson Becker is one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation and Sadio Mane and Bobby Firmino joined Salah for many remarkable years, tying together in an attacking triptych for the ages, wreaking havoc and lifting trophies.
But what about those of a more clutch nature? Liverpool have fashioned some real superstars across the past decade, but those of less sweeping legacies still triumphed in playing a fundamental role too.
Liverpool's most clutch players
Last season, while he certainly had his negatives, Darwin Nunez proved to be Liverpool’s go-to man for coming up trumps, notching five match-winning strikes in the Premier League.
Nunez needs to find and sustain his clinical edge but no one can deny that the man’s a maverick, a born entertainer. Special shoutout to Wataru Endo too, for the Japan midfielder brought his tough-tackling style to English football and often helped Liverpool over the line in the later stages – notably against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final.
There have been many further cult heroes to grace the Anfield walls across this illustrious epoch in Liverpool’s history; Xherdan Shaqiri is another.
None, however, carry the aura nor the impact of Divock Origi, who is regarded as one of Klopp’s most memorable members.
The Belgian’s arrival predated Klopp’s. He completed a £10m transfer from LOSC Lille in July 2014 before returning to the French club on loan for the 2014/15 season, scoring nine goals in all competitions.
He left a hero. A deep-diving breakdown into Origi’s Anfield career would yield middling findings. He scored 41 goals across 175 matches in total, with just 22 Premier League goals struck across seven seasons. Hardly the stuff of legends.
But a legend he is. Klopp said so. Origi’s unmatched quality in popping up on the biggest moment to score an all-important goal for Liverpool is something that cannot be taught. He simply has it.
His two-goal haul in the Reds’ historic turnaround victory over Barcelona is enough to erect a statue, but then the 29-year-old went on to seal the deal against Tottenham Hotspur in the final, sparking pandemonium among the Liverpool fanbase.
Everton must have despised Origi, for he seemed to invariably emerge in the right place and send Liverpool’s rivals in a spin.
Arne Slot had inherited a team of high-class quality, evidenced through Liverpool’s staggering start to the campaign, – the Reds are commandingly atop the Premier League and Champions League tables – but he’d surely take Origi into his brood, simply for the unique, clinical dimension that he offers.
It might not seem like it, but Slot may actually boast his own version of the Belgium international, and his name’s Caoimhin Kelleher.
Caoimhin Kelleher is the new Divock Origi
It’s remarkable that Liverpool have had Alisson sidelined for as much as they have across the past year or two and fans have scarcely felt his absence, for Kelleher has been such a titan between the sticks.
Last season, Klopp claimed that the Irish shot-stopper is “the best number two in the world” but to be honest, he’s probably one of the world’s finest, with his performances proving to be so awe-inspiring for the Redmen.
He’s only made 57 appearances for Liverpool since emerging from the youth ranks, but Kelleher has certainly produced results worth bragging about when unleashed, instrumental in lifting two Carabao Cup titles and the FA Cup too.
Alisson has indeed been absent for much of Slot’s reign so far but Kelleher has stepped up and then some, saving Kylian Mbappe’s penalty as Liverpool defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League group phase.
You could say that his remarkable success in popping up when his outfit need him is reminiscent of Origi, who was never really the number one up front on Merseyside but still played his part triumphantly.
Journalist DaveOCKOP saw it from way back, stating in December 2021: “Kelleher has a bit of Origi about him. When he appears it’s magic.”
The signs were there from the offing, and now Liverpool are reaping the fruits of Kelleher’s development. There must be some part of FSG that bemoan the decision to splash £29m on Giorgi Mamardashvili this summer, with the Georgian goalkeeper snapped up prudently as Alisson’s long-term successor.
Liverpool’s net is sure to be in safe hands with the 23-year-old Mamardashvili, who is back on loan with Valencia for the duration of the current campaign, but Kelleher might actually be operating at the superior level right now.
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In any case, Liverpool have triumphed with the Republic of Ireland international, who has actually signed from Ringmahon Rangers in his homeland as a 17-year-old for a £30k figure and has since paid back that outlay for sure.
In fact, given that Chelsea are displaying interest in the monstrous player and have floated figures reaching £35m, Liverpool are going to hit the veritable jackpot when he is sold. When assessing the two sums, Kelleher’s hike in market value can be extrapolated to a 116567% rise – which is absurd.
Origi might be an Anfield star no more, but his spirit certainly lives on. Kelleher is proving to be one of Liverpool’s most clutch sensations of modern times, and if the lofty goals are achieved under Slot’s management this year, he too will cement cult status at this high-flying football club.
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ByAngus Sinclair