Giorgi Mamardashvili to Liverpool transfer latest as Valencia make ‘very simple’ Barcelona decision
Liverpool are considering making a move for Georgia international and Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in the final fortnight of the summer transfer window
Valencia head coach Ruben Baraja believes Giorgi Mamardashvili is ready to play in the club’s first game of the La Liga season against Barcelona on Saturday night. Liverpool are considering moving to sign the Georgia goalkeeper and will seemingly have another chance to watch the 23-year-old in action.
Eight hours after the Reds start their Premier League campaign, the Spanish side will kick-off at Mestalla, presumably with Mamardashvili in goal. The shot-stopper started all but one league game under Baraja last season.
He missed that match through suspension after being shown a straight red card in his previous game against Barcelona. Valencia were 2-1 up at the time of that dismissal but went on to lose 4-2 with ten men.
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Therefore, the goalkeeper may want to make amends, and Baraja has no qualms about selecting the player. “It’s very simple,” the Valencia coach clarified during a press conference on Friday. “As long as there’s nothing, I won’t value it. I am not talking about hypotheses.
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“He has a contract with Valencia and, as long as there is no different situation, he is our player. He is ready to participate in tomorrow’s game. He’s ready to compete; when things happen, we’ll talk when they happen.”
Baraja spent the final decade of his playing career at the club he now coaches, getting the top job a decade after beginning his coaching career with their under-19s and briefly their reserves on an interim basis. The central midfielder spent three seasons working with Rafa Benitez as his coach between 2001 and 2004, playing in both games against Liverpool during the Champions League first group stage in 2002.
One of his 56 goals for the club came against the Reds, scoring the second in their 2-0 win at Mestalla. He also played the full 90 minutes again in the reverse fixture, which Valencia won 1-0 at Anfield.
