Liverpool FC have confirmed the signature of Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia, who signs for £29 million but won’t move to Merseyside for at least a year.
While the Reds have finally made a signing, Liverpool fans won’t see Mamardashvili at Anfield any time soon, with the goalkeeper returning to Valencia for the current season at least.
Journalist David Lynch reported the clubs have agreed a fee of £29 million which includes £4 million in add-ons.
The deal Mamardashvili signs will see him contracted to Liverpool for six years, until 2030.
Liverpool said in a statement:
“The Reds have secured a deal for the 23-year-old that will see him remain in Spain for the remainder of the current campaign with Los Che before switching to Merseyside next summer.”
Before this summer, Mamardashvili’s mammoth name would have been unknown to most supporters.
However, the goalkeeper stepped into the spotlight with his brilliant performances for Georgia at Euro 2024, where his nation reached the round of 16 before being knocked out by eventual winners Spain.
In terms of his style of goalkeeping, he is similar to Alisson in the sense that he is massive (6’6″) and makes difficult saves look easy.
He is agile, also, and good at catching the ball to relieve pressure on his team.
Editor of Football Espana, Ruairidh Barlow watched him on multiple occasions last season and praised the ‘keeper while speaking to This Is Anfield.
He said: “Certainly he was the best around in Spain for me last season, and quite probably the reason Valencia were on the fringes of a European race, rather than nervously hanging around the bottom five or six.
“The differential between expected goals conceded and goals conceded was 8.2 last year, the largest figure in Spain, and the third-highest in Europe’s top five leagues.
“Every season he has been ranked highly for saves and save percentage.”
The move for Mamardashvili might not be the most exciting transfer for supporters, given it will be a long time until we see him play for Liverpool, but it is a smart move in future-proofing such an important position.
Welcome to Liverpool, Mama!
