IT WAS ONLY a couple of weeks before the Premier League season finished when Brentford knew they would need to sign a new goalkeeper.
That’s when it became clear that Mark Flekken, their 31-year-old Netherlands international, was a top priority for Bayer Leverkusen and heading to Germany once the transfer window opened.
Head coach Xabi Alonso may have been leaving for Real Madrid but former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was set to be installed as his replacement. Leverkusen came second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and the added carrot of Champions League football was enough to lure Brentford’s No.1 away.
Suddenly, the side that finished 10th in the Premier League last season now had to act quickly, although that didn’t mean decisions were made in panic.
Technical director Lee Dykes and sporting director Phil Giles already had a shortlist of goalkeepers prepared, influenced predominantly by the research and data analysis that owner Matthew Benham puts at the forefront of the club’s recruitment model.
Brentford have data coverage on 85,000 players at the very beginning of their process and whittle that down to up to six options for each position. It was then that Dykes and Giles met internally to discuss their plan of action with head coach Thomas Frank and his extended staff.
Kelleher (left) with Nathan Collins on Ireland duty. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
They had the names of three goalkeepers on the list, but only one was unanimously agreed upon as their top target: Caoimhín Kelleher.
It would, as sources explained to The 42, turn out to be as smooth a deal as you are likely to get at this level of the game. While the alternatives to Kelleher were discussed, they were not considered in the same depth once all facets were considered: in every sense, now was the perfect time for this transfer to happen.
Brentford’s focus was on getting a deal done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Kelleher had already been high on their radar two years previously, when then first choice David Raya was preparing to leave on loan for Arsenal before joining the Gunners permanently. Timing worked against both parties then as Kelleher was just two seasons into a five-year contract.
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The cost to get him out of Anfield would have been far higher than the initial €14 million (rising to €21.3m with around €3m due to Ringhmahon Rangers) paid this week. More prohibitive was Liverpool’s refusal to want to sell given former boss Jurgen Klopp rated Kelleher as the best No.2 in world football.
The Republic of Ireland international turned 26 last November and also switched agencies in February – the same group that represents Virgil van Dijk – as he prepared to enter the final season of that deal signed in 2021.
As much as stats and data inform so much of Brentford’s decision making, there are also a significant amount of background checks about a player’s character and personality, both on and off the pitch, before progressing with any deal.
Naturally, Kelleher’s international teammate Nathan Collins provided a glowing reference while Frank didn’t have to look far on his own staff given former Ireland assistant Keith Andrews, who worked with the goalkeeper at both U21 and senior level, joined the club ahead of last season.
But it would be more than friendly faces that would get a deal over the line. Kelleher’s temperament and emotional intelligence were cited. Again, had his personality profile been different Brentford still would have pursued the deal because of what the stats, and their eyes, were telling them.
“He is obsessed with improving. His best quality is his agility and he is a clever goalkeeper, with positioning and awareness being key elements of his game,” first-team goalkeeper coach Manu Sotelo said when the signing was confirmed.
Kelleher makes a save from Bruno Guimares in last season's Carabao Cup final. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
“With us, I’m confident he will achieve the next level in terms of performance and show the potential he has.”
Last season, Brentford’s tally of 647 shots was the second-most conceded. Yet only 80 of those were deemed “big chances” and the total of 233 shots faced from outside the box was more than any other side in the Premier League last season.
What Brentford anticipate is that Kelleher will make the difference with those chances that rivals should be scoring, their analysis during his time with Liverpool and Ireland highlighting that he is capable of making big saves in big moments, while also relieving pressure on his team in crucial moments of games.
Like the striker who doesn’t just score the third or fourth in a five-goal rout, Kelleher is a goalkeeper who delivers for his team when the outcome is still in the balance. A very brilliant reminder of such quality came for Ireland against Senegal on Friday when he made a stunning fingertip save (below) from a powerful header that looked destined for the top corner.
Caoimhin Kelleher gets fingertips on the ball as Senegal are denied an equaliser via the crossbar #COYBIG#IRLSEN
Once Brentford and Liverpool were able to agree the terms of the transfer and it began to filter out, rival clubs were surprised by how cheaply they were able to get Kelleher out of Anfield. Even with a year left on his contract it was seen as more clever business.
Still, as much as things were going smoothly there were still fears at Brentford that they could be gazumped, right up until last week when Kelleher visited Frank and some of the technical staff for a detailed presentation to convince him this was the club where he could be tested at the highest level while still have an emphasis on developing even further.
One joke is that the presentation could have just been putting Collins’ face on the screen and detailing how he has been able to progress and mature, becoming the only outfielder to play in every minute of the Premier League last season.
Kelleher in action for Liverpool against Brentford during the 2023/24 season. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Like Raya before him, Kelleher is viewed as a goalkeeper whose ceiling as a No.1 is yet to reached, and as much as that was laid out to him there was also acknowledgement that next season will be different in many ways.
The challenge laid out to Kelleher, one that excited him and made him keen to join, was that he would have to show on a consistent basis each week that he was ready to perform as a first choice, shifting that mindset week in week out. Brentford are adamant it will not be an issue, and even the narrative around Kelleher will change this season.
Excluding the three relegated teams and three who earned promotion from the Championship, only Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen (22) will be a younger No.1 at the start of this season.
The future of head coach Frank may now be up in the air as Tottenham Hotspur reportedly want him to succeed the sacked Ange Postecoglou, but Brentford are adamant they’re getting Kelleher before he truly hits his peak.
The work will soon begin on ensuring he can reach it.
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A deal two years in making - How Brentford finally made it a smooth Liverpool exit for Kelleher
IT WAS ONLY a couple of weeks before the Premier League season finished when Brentford knew they would need to sign a new goalkeeper.
That’s when it became clear that Mark Flekken, their 31-year-old Netherlands international, was a top priority for Bayer Leverkusen and heading to Germany once the transfer window opened.
Head coach Xabi Alonso may have been leaving for Real Madrid but former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was set to be installed as his replacement. Leverkusen came second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and the added carrot of Champions League football was enough to lure Brentford’s No.1 away.
Suddenly, the side that finished 10th in the Premier League last season now had to act quickly, although that didn’t mean decisions were made in panic.
Technical director Lee Dykes and sporting director Phil Giles already had a shortlist of goalkeepers prepared, influenced predominantly by the research and data analysis that owner Matthew Benham puts at the forefront of the club’s recruitment model.
Brentford have data coverage on 85,000 players at the very beginning of their process and whittle that down to up to six options for each position. It was then that Dykes and Giles met internally to discuss their plan of action with head coach Thomas Frank and his extended staff.
They had the names of three goalkeepers on the list, but only one was unanimously agreed upon as their top target: Caoimhín Kelleher.
It would, as sources explained to The 42, turn out to be as smooth a deal as you are likely to get at this level of the game. While the alternatives to Kelleher were discussed, they were not considered in the same depth once all facets were considered: in every sense, now was the perfect time for this transfer to happen.
Brentford’s focus was on getting a deal done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Kelleher had already been high on their radar two years previously, when then first choice David Raya was preparing to leave on loan for Arsenal before joining the Gunners permanently. Timing worked against both parties then as Kelleher was just two seasons into a five-year contract.
The cost to get him out of Anfield would have been far higher than the initial €14 million (rising to €21.3m with around €3m due to Ringhmahon Rangers) paid this week. More prohibitive was Liverpool’s refusal to want to sell given former boss Jurgen Klopp rated Kelleher as the best No.2 in world football.
The Republic of Ireland international turned 26 last November and also switched agencies in February – the same group that represents Virgil van Dijk – as he prepared to enter the final season of that deal signed in 2021.
As much as stats and data inform so much of Brentford’s decision making, there are also a significant amount of background checks about a player’s character and personality, both on and off the pitch, before progressing with any deal.
Naturally, Kelleher’s international teammate Nathan Collins provided a glowing reference while Frank didn’t have to look far on his own staff given former Ireland assistant Keith Andrews, who worked with the goalkeeper at both U21 and senior level, joined the club ahead of last season.
But it would be more than friendly faces that would get a deal over the line. Kelleher’s temperament and emotional intelligence were cited. Again, had his personality profile been different Brentford still would have pursued the deal because of what the stats, and their eyes, were telling them.
“He is obsessed with improving. His best quality is his agility and he is a clever goalkeeper, with positioning and awareness being key elements of his game,” first-team goalkeeper coach Manu Sotelo said when the signing was confirmed.
“With us, I’m confident he will achieve the next level in terms of performance and show the potential he has.”
Last season, Brentford’s tally of 647 shots was the second-most conceded. Yet only 80 of those were deemed “big chances” and the total of 233 shots faced from outside the box was more than any other side in the Premier League last season.
What Brentford anticipate is that Kelleher will make the difference with those chances that rivals should be scoring, their analysis during his time with Liverpool and Ireland highlighting that he is capable of making big saves in big moments, while also relieving pressure on his team in crucial moments of games.
Like the striker who doesn’t just score the third or fourth in a five-goal rout, Kelleher is a goalkeeper who delivers for his team when the outcome is still in the balance. A very brilliant reminder of such quality came for Ireland against Senegal on Friday when he made a stunning fingertip save (below) from a powerful header that looked destined for the top corner.
Once Brentford and Liverpool were able to agree the terms of the transfer and it began to filter out, rival clubs were surprised by how cheaply they were able to get Kelleher out of Anfield. Even with a year left on his contract it was seen as more clever business.
Still, as much as things were going smoothly there were still fears at Brentford that they could be gazumped, right up until last week when Kelleher visited Frank and some of the technical staff for a detailed presentation to convince him this was the club where he could be tested at the highest level while still have an emphasis on developing even further.
One joke is that the presentation could have just been putting Collins’ face on the screen and detailing how he has been able to progress and mature, becoming the only outfielder to play in every minute of the Premier League last season.
Like Raya before him, Kelleher is viewed as a goalkeeper whose ceiling as a No.1 is yet to reached, and as much as that was laid out to him there was also acknowledgement that next season will be different in many ways.
The challenge laid out to Kelleher, one that excited him and made him keen to join, was that he would have to show on a consistent basis each week that he was ready to perform as a first choice, shifting that mindset week in week out. Brentford are adamant it will not be an issue, and even the narrative around Kelleher will change this season.
Excluding the three relegated teams and three who earned promotion from the Championship, only Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen (22) will be a younger No.1 at the start of this season.
The future of head coach Frank may now be up in the air as Tottenham Hotspur reportedly want him to succeed the sacked Ange Postecoglou, but Brentford are adamant they’re getting Kelleher before he truly hits his peak.
The work will soon begin on ensuring he can reach it.
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Caoimhin Kelleher Details Premier League Soccer Brentford Liverpool