£20 million Liverpool star could be tempted to join West Ham

West Ham's 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspurs has highlighted a lot of struggling areas in the Hammers squad. While Julen Lopetegui's side haven't been scoring much goals this season despite the talent they have in the attack, their defence is still conceding a lot of goals which was unexpected given the three defensive signings made by the club in the transfer window.

Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have shown their reliable defending in a few matches, however are yet to form a rock-solid defence together. Moreover, previous season's star players Emerson and Alphonse Areola haven't adapted well to Lopetegui's tactical setup, with the latter making three defensive mistakes against Tottenham Hotspurs.

Areola conceded twice at the near-post and even made a mistimed save on the third goal. Although the 31-year-old is one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League, Areola has struggled to consistently make good saves towards the near-post. Therefore, there are ongoing speculations about his long-term West Ham future, as the Hammers may consider bringing in a new goalkeeper in the January transfer window.

£20 million Liverpool star could be tempted to join West Ham

Roma's Mile Svilar is a great number one option for the Hammers, but West Ham would prefer to sign a proven Premier League star instead. If that is the case, Liverpool's 25-year-old goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher is a really impressive option for Julen Lopetegui's side.

Lopetegui's possession based style of football relies heavily on the goalkeeper's distribution and passing abilities, where Kelleher is a major upgrade on Areola. In the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Alisson, Kelleher has been starting for Arne Slot's side and has already kept two clean-sheets this season.

Kelleher made three huge saves against West Ham in the Carabao Cup 5-1 win as well. The Republic of Ireland star gave three long through-balls in that match, which helped the home side to advance towards the box multiple times throughout the match. Recently, Kelleher also spoke about his Liverpool future while being the second-choice goalkeeper after Alisson, saying,

"I am up against Alisson and he’s one of the best in the world. So he’s always going to be No 1 and he’s always going to play."

- Caoimhin Kelleher

This suggests that the 25-year-old promising goalkeeper may consider taking an important squad role in the future, and could be open to a transfer move in order to get more playing time. At West Ham, Kelleher will play in his preferred starting number one role and would thrive in the passing and distribution areas as well.

Moreover, the Hammers will secure a long-term goalkeeper by signing Kelleher, who has a huge potential to become an elite player in the Premier League. Liverpool are rumoured to be demanding £20 million for Kelleher, but it remains to be seen whether they will consider selling him in-case Alisson is unavailable for a lot of important league fixtures.