Liverpool have struck a deal to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia for £25million ($33m) plus £4m ($5.3m) in add-ons with the 23-year-old remaining at the La Liga club this season.
Usually, The Athletic would not rate a signing where the player will not join until next summer, but given the interest in Mamardashvili and the fact the deal has been concluded now, we thought it best to analyse the move.
Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — have come together to rate this summer’s senior Premier League arrivals in five categories, with each aspect given a score out of 100, to reach a total score out of 500. Hence, The Athletic 500. The ratings are explained in more detail here (not all transfers will be rated as there may be a lack of data to support an analysis).
Below is our rating for this one.
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Tactical fit — 61/100
A look at how the player fits into his new club, using Sentient Sports’ bespoke tactical-fit model, as explained by our tactical expert.
Mamardashvili is an agile and fast 23-year-old goalkeeper, known for his exceptional reflexes. He can get down to react to rebounds, and also off the line to spread himself, quickly during one-on-one situations.
His high-ball claims and confidence when coming out for crosses relieve the pressure on his defence. He positions himself well, focusing on the ball while maintaining awareness of threats around him. His open body position means he can assess the flight of the approaching cross.
In terms of shot-stopping, his 74 per cent save rate is good. He also averages a post-shot expected goals allowed (xG) rate of 0.3 per game.
This statistic measures the likelihood of an attempt finding the net, taking into account the ball location, shooting angle and type of shot. A rate of 0.3 means, on average, Mamardashvili concedes fewer goals than expected, preventing about 0.3 per game, based on the quality of shots faced. This places him in the 97th percentile (top three per cent) among goalkeepers in the top five leagues (the Premier League, La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga, Serie A in Italy and France’s Ligue 1).
As shown on the shot map, Mamardashvili conceded 36 goals last season, while preventing 8.4. He also conceded more high-quality shots than lower-quality ones.
Even with his strengths, Mamardashvili faces challenges in adapting to the modern game.
Goalkeepers are increasingly expected to be good with their feet. His ability to contribute to build-up play, particularly through short, sharp passes — an important aspect of Liverpool head coach Arne Slot’s tactical approach — is not well developed. While he is a good launcher of the ball (57.3 per cent of his passes go long), he would need to improve his short passing angles to create smoother transitions and help bypass the opposition’s press.
As shown in his goal-kick distribution pass map below, Mamardashvili’s passes of that type are directed towards the central areas of the pitch. He favours long balls, with a smaller percentage of shorter ones.
Additionally, Mamardashvili tends to remain deeper than more adventurous modern goalkeepers, who tend to place themselves near the halfway line. He may need to adjust to a more advanced positioning and improve his anticipation for sweeping.
Many modern goalkeepers tend to act as an additional player for their team in build-up situations. While Mamardashvili does not currently excel in this area, his launches could still be beneficial during transitions.
Slot prefers a controlled possession style, demanding that his goalkeeper contributes to build-up play by moving the ball from side to side and combining with the double pivots and centre-backs during the first phase of play. Mamardashvili, still young at age 23 and with room for improvement, has the potential to develop these qualities with time and training.
The data gives Mamardashvili a tactical-fit score of 61 and he shows average compatibility with Liverpool’s system. As he gains familiarity with their style and refines his in-possession game, he should emerge as a strong No 1.
Gillian Kasirye
Season rating: 75/100
Rating the player over the course of last season, using statistics from The Athletic’s data team.
Mamardashvili kept 13 clean sheets and conceded 38 non-penalty goals while starting all but one of Valencia’s 38 league games (he was suspended for the other match after being sent off for a handball outside the box during April’s 4-2 away defeat against Barcelona) and was an important player as they finished ninth in 20-team La Liga. Then, as one of the standout goalkeepers at the European Championship, he delivered top performances against strong teams such as Portugal and eventual champions Spain.
He saved the most penalties in La Liga, with three, alongside Unai Simon of Athletic Bilbao and Las Palmas’ Alvaro Valles.
Gillian Kasirye
Gaming rating: 77/100
Rating the player according to Football Manager 2024’s data across both current and potential ability.
Mamardashvili is a young man but is on his way to establishing himself as one of Europe’s best goalkeepers, and Football Manager’s extensive scouting network suggests he is good enough to step into a starting role in the Premier League right away.
The Georgian’s current ability rating on FM24 is 148 out of 200, placing him at the same level as Manchester United’s Andre Onana and just behind David Raya of Arsenal (152). As expected, Mamardashvili is some distance behind the man he is expected to eventually replace at Anfield in Alisson (176) as well as Manchester City’s Ederson (180).
However, Mamardashvili is just 23 (he turns 24 next month) and is only expected to improve over time, with FM giving him a potential-ability rating of 161. He ranks higher here than Onana (160) and Raya (158), while Alisson and Ederson are both at 180.
All of this suggests Mamardashvili, even if initially tasked with being Liverpool’s second-choice goalkeeper, is a viable successor to Alisson, who will be 32 in October.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Financial value rating: 80/100
A four-category summary of the player’s transfer in financial terms — and whether it makes sense for his new club
Market value — 22/25
Liverpool have paid an initial £25million for Mamardashvili, which seems a great price considering his age, experience and potential. They should be happy to secure one of Europe’s most highly-rated players in his position for such a relatively low initial fee.
Squad cost — 23/25
Liverpool have been in the hunt for a No 6 all summer without finding somebody for that midfield role, but this is a relatively low-cost purchase for a club of their size and seeing as the deal will be made official next summer should not affect them if opportunities to do business at other positions emerge in the final days of this window.
Contract sensibility — 17/25
This signing represents sensible succession planning for the day Alisson leaves, with Mamardashvili an ideal candidate to inherit the No 1 shirt. Alisson is under contract until summer 2027, but his long-term future is uncertain due to interest in him from Saudi Arabia. Should Liverpool decide to cash in next summer, when his deal will have a year to run, Mamardashvili represents an immediate replacement. Should Alisson stay for the duration of this contract, or longer, Mamardashvili is a very capable No 2.
Resale value — 18/25
Undoubtedly, the aim for player and club alike will be to inherit Alisson’s shirt and be an important player at Anfield for years to come but, given Mamardashvili’s age and pedigree, Liverpool might have expected to pay more than they did for his signature, opening the door for them to potentially profit in the future. However, Alisson is still in his prime, and should be capable of performing at the top level for years to come. If Mamardashvili fails to supplant the Brazilian, it could lead to a scenario where the younger man pushes for a move, and Liverpool decide to sell at a cut-price fee.
Elias Burke
Risk or reward? 80/100
Is there a history of injury or other problems that could crop up and make this deal a bad one in retrospect? Or does the player come with a clean bill of health? Our expert takes a look.
By agreeing a deal to sign Mamardashvili, Liverpool have swiftly addressed questions about succession planning for Alisson before they even begin to surface.
As stated, Alisson is under contract for three more seasons, but interest from the Saudi Pro League has arisen in previous transfer windows, calling his long-term future at Anfield into question. If the Brazilian opts to move on at the end of his current deal, or perhaps next summer to coincide with Mamardashvili’s return from Spain, Liverpool are in a comfortable position to deal with what might otherwise be a transformative loss.
Unlike Alisson, Mamardashvili is unproven in the Premier League and Champions League, but his performances in La Liga and for Georgia, particularly at this summer’s Euros, will provide the Liverpool hierarchy with confidence that he will be a success at Anfield. There are some questions regarding his ability to adapt as a ball-playing goalkeeper, an area of his game he will have to develop with Slot and his assistants on the training pitches at the club’s Kirkby base.
There is a minor concern over whether Alisson will want to stay at Liverpool beyond the expiry of his contract in summer 2027, potentially closing the door on Mamardashvili’s emergence as his replacement, but retaining the services of arguably the world’s greatest goalkeeper would hardly be inconvenient for the club.
Overall, this appears a perfect scenario for Liverpool regarding the future and whoever is their man between the sticks.
Elias Burke
Overall rating: 373/500
(Photo: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
