There will be a different goalkeeper between the posts for Brentford next season.
Mark Flekken has left the Bees to join Bayer Leverkusen, and Thomas Frank has moved quickly to replace him, snapping up Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool for an initial fee of £12.5m, which could rise to £18m with add-ons.
In this Moving Target article, we’ll assess the new shot-stopper’s prospects in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) ahead of the 2025/26 season.
- READ MORE: FPL new signings: Why Cunha could be a big hit at Man Utd
- READ MORE: FPL new signings: Frimpong a potential top pick at Liverpool
KELLEHER: CAREER STATS
| SEASON | STARTS | GOALS CONCEDED | CLEAN SHEETS | SAVE % | EXPECTED GOALS PREVENTED | FPL POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 73.0 | -0.10 | 45 |
| 2023/24 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 73.7 | +0.40 | 34 |
| 2022/23 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 60.0 | -2.40 | 2 |
| 2021/22 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 75.0 | +0.20 | 8 |
| 2020/21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 85.7 | +1.10 | 10 |
Above: Caoimhin Kelleher’s career history stats at Liverpool (league only)
Born in Cork, Kelleher joined Liverpool from local club Ringmahon Rangers in 2015, progressing through the youth ranks before establishing himself as the Reds’ backup goalkeeper.
He made his competitive debut in 2019, keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 EFL Cup win over MK Dons, and went on to play 25 Premier League games for Liverpool.
Kelleher departs Anfield having made 67 appearances across all competitions, leaving with two Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one UEFA Super Cup.
He has also earned 22 caps for the Republic of Ireland, starting in their last 10 international matches.
KELLEHER TO BRENTFORD: IN QUOTES
“We have scouted him in the past and were aware that he had a year to go on his contract with Liverpool this summer. When Mark Flekken had the opportunity to move to Bayer Leverkusen, we immediately thought about Caoimhin as his replacement. As well as being a very good goalkeeper, I’ve rarely met a player for whom everybody has such positive words to say about his personality and character. I’m therefore confident he’ll be an excellent addition to the squad.” – Brentford director of football Phil Giles.
“I’m buzzing, I’m really happy to be here. I don’t think it was very difficult for me to leave [Liverpool]. I felt for my own career that the time was right for me to go, to be a no 1 and to play every week. I heard of some interest a number of weeks ago. Once I knew Brentford was in for me, it was definitely one I was really excited about and wanted to do as quickly as possible. When I come back for pre-season, all focus will be on what I want to do next year; to work on certain goals and what I need to improve on, and to have a really good season for Brentford.” – Caoimhin Kelleher
“Caoimhin is a young keeper full of talent who has already proven how he can perform in the Premier League as well as Europe. He is calm and obsessed with improving. His best quality is his agility and he is a clever goalkeeper, with positioning and awareness being key elements of his game. With us, I’m confident he will achieve the next level in terms of performance and show the potential he has. I’m looking forward to working with him.” – Brentford first-team goalkeeper coach Manu Sotelo
THE FPL PROSPECTS
Kelleher could be a decent choice for our opening squads, with the potential to become a template pick at the start of the season.
Defensively, Brentford had a unique 2024/25 campaign.
The Bees wait for a first clean sheet lasted all the way until Gameweek 12, but from that point onwards, they mustered a very decent eight shut-outs in 27 matches.
Just one clean sheet was kept at the Gtech Community Stadium, however. By contrast, only two clubs kept more away clean sheets (seven).
Yet looking at the expected data, we can see the underlying numbers were practically the same, with a vast underperformance at home and overperformance away, something you’d usually expect to even out.
| GOALS CONCEDED (PL RANK) | CLEAN SHEETS (PL RANK) | EXPECTED GOALS CONCEDED (PL RANK) | EXPECTED GOALS CONCEDED DELTA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 35 (=17th) | 1 (=19th) | 28.44 (14th) | +6.56 |
| Away | 22 (4th) | 7 (=3rd) | 27.68 (9th) | -5.68 |
Above: Brentford’s home/away defensive stats in 2024/25
Flekken had other routes to points, too. He racked up 156 saves in total, 30 more than the next-best goalkeeper, resulting in 39 save points, another league-high.
This is linked to Brentford’s tactical approach. Thomas Frank’s side are excellent at limiting opponents to low-quality shooting opportunities, often from distance.
Indeed, the Bees conceded the second-most shots (647) in 2024/25, but only allowed the seventh-most big chances (80).
It allowed Flekken to rack up the saves, with lots of the efforts he had to face from range. In fact, no side conceded more shots from outside the box than Brentford last season, with 233.
Above: Teams sorted by shots conceded outside the box (Out) in 2024/25
Overall, Flekken was the fourth-highest scoring goalkeeper in FPL last season. He presented the best value in his position when it came to points per million (30.7), too.
It offers encouragement for Kelleher, who should be the next goalkeeper to profit from Thomas Frank’s philosophy.
There are also other factors to consider.
Brentford often play clever direct long balls from the back, which led to two Flekken assists in 2024/25.
Furthermore, Kelleher has previously proved adept at saving penalties, winning all four of his shoot-outs for Liverpool. He also prevented Adam Armstrong and Kylian Mbappe from scoring in regulation time last season.
Without knowing Kelleher’s price and Brentford’s schedule, it’s hard to make a definitive recommendation. However, a £4.5m price tag would tempt many and surely position him as a popular choice to begin the season.
