Liverpool’s long-term planning in goal presents a difficult balance between continuity and succession.
Alisson has set an exceptionally high standard during his time at the club, combining elite shot-stopping with the distribution, composure and one-on-one ability required of a goalkeeper in a side expected to compete for major trophies. Replacing that combination is considerably easier to discuss than to accomplish.
That explains why Alisson’s future at Anfield has become part of a wider conversation about Liverpool’s options in goal, with Emi Martinez among the established names discussed in relation to a potential succession plan. The issue for the Reds is not simply identifying another high-level goalkeeper, but deciding when moving on from a proven performer would actually make sporting and financial sense.
Alisson turns 33 this year, and while age rarely defines a goalkeeper’s decline in the way it might for an outfield player, the club still needs to plan beyond 2027. The decision they make will shape their goalkeeping situation for the better part of the next decade.
Where Things Currently Stand With Alisson’s Contract
Liverpool triggered a 12-month extension clause in Alisson’s deal, securing his services through to the end of the 2026–27 season. That decision removed any immediate urgency, but it did not resolve the longer-term question of what happens when that contract expires. The club made a conscious choice to keep him rather than enter a transition period ahead of schedule, which tells you something about how they rate his current influence.
Juventus tested Liverpool’s resolve by exploring a move for the Brazilian, and the Reds shut it down without hesitation. Alisson is not regarded purely as a goalkeeper at Anfield; he carries weight in the dressing room and sets a standard that filters through to the players around him. That kind of presence is rarely factored into transfer fees but is always felt when it disappears.
Giorgi Mamardashvili is already at the club and waiting in the background. The Georgian was brought in specifically to be the long-term number one, but Liverpool have been in no rush to accelerate that handover. As long as Alisson performs at the level he has maintained throughout his career on Merseyside, there is no pressure on the club to make an early change.
The Case for Offering Alisson a New Deal
Goalkeepers age differently to outfield players. The position demands sharp reflexes and decision-making under pressure, but it does not carry the same physical toll as, say, a central midfielder covering ground for ninety minutes. There are numerous examples of top-level goalkeepers continuing to perform at the highest level well into their late thirties, and Alisson has given no indication that his standards are slipping.
If Liverpool extend his contract beyond 2027, they would be retaining a goalkeeper who knows the club inside out, has won the Premier League and the Champions League with them, and remains one of the best in his position globally. The continuity argument is strong.
Changing a goalkeeper disrupts the entire defensive unit, and that disruption carries a cost that does not always show up immediately in results but tends to surface at the worst moments.
Building Around Mamardashvili as the Succession Plan
Liverpool did not pay good money for Mamardashvili simply to have him warm the bench indefinitely. The plan was always for him to become the first-choice goalkeeper, and the 2027–28 season represents the most natural starting point for that transition. Alisson would leave with his reputation intact, and the club would hand the gloves to a goalkeeper who has had time to settle into his surroundings.
The challenge with this approach is that Mamardashvili, for all his promise, has not yet played a single competitive minute for Liverpool. Moving from La Liga to the Premier League requires adjustment, and doing so as the undisputed number one at a club competing on every front is a significant step up. The pressure that comes with that role at Anfield is not something every goalkeeper handles immediately.
A structured handover, where Mamardashvili features in cup competitions or rotates in low-stakes fixtures during the 2026–27 campaign, would reduce the cold-start risk considerably. Liverpool would be giving him Premier League exposure without throwing him straight into the deep end, which is the kind of preparation that tends to produce stronger long-term outcomes.
The Free Transfer Scenario and What It Means for Liverpool
Alisson has spoken openly about his attachment to Internacional, the Brazilian club where he began his career. A Bosman exit in 2027 would give him the freedom to write that chapter without either party needing to negotiate a transfer fee, and for a player who has given everything at Anfield, that kind of ending carries genuine appeal on a personal level.
From Liverpool’s perspective, a free departure avoids the complications of a mid-contract sale while still allowing them to plan around a fixed endpoint. They would know well in advance that Mamardashvili takes over in the summer of 2027, which gives the coaching staff and recruitment team a clear timeline to prepare for the change in goalkeeping personnel.
The risk with this route is that Alisson picks up a serious injury or suffers a significant dip in form before the contract ends, forcing Liverpool into a reactive position rather than a managed one. Clubs rarely get to execute succession plans exactly as drawn up, and having only Mamardashvili as a backup option, without a proven replacement ready, leaves little room for error if something goes wrong in the final stretch.
Comments.
Loading comments…