Salah’s ex-teammate suggests Richard Hughes has already made one transfer mistake at Liverpool | OneFootball

A former teammate of Mo Salah has suggested that Richard Hughes has made a mistake during his first transfer window as Liverpool sporting director.

The first player signed by the Reds during the 45-year-old’s tenure was Giorgi Mamardashvili, who’s spending this season at Valencia before he moves to Anfield in 2025.

The Georgia goalkeeper was acquired in a £29m deal in August, although a Premier League stalwart has questioned whether it was a wise transaction from the Merseyside giants.

Schwarzer unsure if Mamardashvili would suit Liverpool

Speaking on the Optus Sport Football Podcast, Mark Schwarzer voiced his admiration for the 24-year-old but queried whether his attributes would make him a good for for Liverpool.

The Australian – who played alongside Salah for two years at Chelsea – said: “The thing about that is, and we talked about it at the Euros as well, his strong point isn’t playing with the ball at his feet, Mamardashvili. He’s okay, but he’s not the goalkeeper.

“That’s why I was a little bit surprised by Liverpool signing him. I think he’s a top-class goalkeeper and I loved him at the Euros. I thought he was brilliant. I just don’t know whether he’s the type of goalkeeper that Liverpool would want.

“I don’t understand it because I don’t think he is the blueprint of goalkeeper that they would have, like Alisson or even [Caoimhin] Kelleher with the ball at his feet, because they’re both very, very good.”

(Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Can Mamardashvili improve at Liverpool?

The point that Schwarzer makes about Mamardashvili being not as adept a ball-playing goalkeeper as Alisson or Kelleher is a fair one.

As per FBref, the Georgian’s pass completion percentage throughout his career is only 59.1%, compared to 85.3% for Liverpool’s number 1 and 81.3% for the Republic of Ireland netminder.

Where the 24-year-old does excel is in terms of shot-stopping, having overperformed on his post-shot xG versus goals conceded by 10.8 throughout his time in senior club football (FBref). He showcased that ability spectacularly during his country’ s1-1 draw against Czechia at Euro 2024, a game in which he made no fewer than 11 saves.

Perhaps Liverpool see Mamardashvili as someone who could improve in possession during his time at Anfield, along with recognising his obvious aptitude for the core goalkeeping task of keeping the ball out of his net.

As good as coup as he seems, the knock-on effect is that it could shove Kelleher towards the exit door if he feels his opportunitites would be even more limited next season, and the Irishman has proven with some outstanding performances of late that he deserves to be a regular starter at Premier League level.

Whatever happens in terms of comings and goings in the goalkeeping department over the next 12 months, let’s hope that the Reds don’t regret the decisions that they make.