Andoni Iraola makes final decision on 'heroic' Liverpool star

Andoni Iraola makes final decision on 'heroic' Liverpool star Andoni Iraola brought four new players through Liverpool's doors over the summer. This came after a rather underwhelming 2025-26 season where Arne Slot only managed to lead his men to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League. This massive underperformance cost the Dutchman his job and forced some players out of L4 so that the club could make room for their new arrivals. However, these deals weren't easy to figure out with Iraola still only just starting to figure out what he wants to do with some of his players. Giorgi Mamardashvili will only be given a chance in the Premier League if Alisson gets injured At the moment, it's clear to see that Alisson is Liverpool's number one 'keeper . Despite him being 33 years old, he's still one of the world's best goalkeepers and, the fact that Liverpool extended his contract by another year proves how much they believe in him. This season, he's probably been one of the Reds' most important players and, since he's not been injured yet and isn't representing Brazil during the current international break, it feels like Liverpool should have their main 'keeper available to them in October. However, his injury history is still obviously rather concerning. In fact, thanks to an update from Football Insider, the only way that Alisson would be replaced in Iraola's Premier League starting XI is if he ends up injured. That is, despite most people at Liverpool seeing Giorgi Mamardashvili as their next number one. "Andoni Iraola will only open the door for him to start in the league if Alisson picks up an injury at any stage," Football Insider wrote . "Sources say that the Brazilian remains the "undisputed" number one option, despite some shaky performances at times last season. "The 33-year-old now has three consecutive clean sheets in the league and has started the new campaign in much stronger form. "Alisson's long-term future at Anfield remains up in the air, but for now at least, his position in the pecking order is clear. Giorgi Mamardashvili has to make the most out of every single opportunity he's given One of the most concerning things about Mamardashvili's performances last season was his poor distribution . The Georgian may have been a good creator during his time with Valencia but, for Liverpool, he's often either making the wrong decision or he simply isn't able to get the ball far enough up the pitch. And, even though he featured in 20 games last term, he failed to improve his performances and did everything but get better. One of the main things that he was known for when playing for Valencia was his shot-stopping but now, he can't even do that. Admittedly, he did perform quite well during the Carabao Cup clash between Liverpool and Tottenham a couple of weeks ago but, the fact that Iraola will only play the " heroic " goalkeeper in the Premier League if Alisson gets injured shows where the Spaniard stands on the situation. Here's hoping that the Brazilian extends his contract by the end of the season or, Lucca Brughmans becomes the player that they need soon.