John Fallon: Deadline day should be Kelleher's priority, not novelty Cup cameos

YOU CAN understand it, you really can. For Caoimhín Kelleher, the allure of four competitions dangles, two of which he'll probably be an active participant in until a conclusion promising medals.

He's already the owner of silverware but of his various coveted possessions only the 2022 Carabao Cup one carries the warmth of involvement.

Granted, he did start the first two rounds of the FA Cup that season but it was Alisson who stood between the sticks against Chelsea, saving Mason Mount's penalty in the shootout and allowing Kostas Tsimikas finish the job.

A couple of months earlier, Kelleher was handed those duties on the same Wembley turf against the same opposition. His role in that epic shootout remains the highpoint of his career, one that swiftly requires a jumpstart.

That could be presented on February 25 in the form of a repeat scene against Chelsea - should the Pool see out their semi tonight against Fulham – in the Carabao decider, yet the carrot has to be measured against the harsh fact that the Corkman remains an understudy goalkeeper in the year of his 26th birthday.

Transfer deadline days, the latest looming tomorrow week, tends to crystalise the predicament finds himself in.

Sunday's FA Cup fourth round clash against Norwich seems a shoo-in for a Kelleher start, given Jürgen Klopp had no qualms picking him for the tricky assignment at Arsenal in the last one.

There also exists the prospect of Kelleher maintaining his run as Klopp's Europa League stopper into next month's last-16 tie.

Subsequent rounds, as the business end beckons, offer no guarantees of continuity but the German have navigated that tightrope sufficiently over the years to ensure his deputy doesn't drift.

When Alisson picked