Spanish Goalkeeper Adrian Leaves Liverpool After Five Years. Thanks Reds For 'Beautiful Journey'

Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian decided to leave the club after his contract expired on June 30. The newly appointed manager Arne Slot wanted to retain Adrian for the upcoming campaign and he was also offered a contract extension. The 37-year-old Spaniard, however, turned down the offer as he had already made his decision to rejoin his former club Real Betis.

Adrian has spent five years with Liverpool. During his long spell at the Merseyside club, Adrian has mostly warmed the bench as a third-choice goalkeeper. Slot had reportedly planned to promote him through the ranks as a replacement for Caoimhin Kelleher, who is also set to leave this summer.

Adrian joined Liverpool in August 2019, only two months after the Champions League victory. Since then, he has played only 26 matches for the Reds across all competitions. He made 11 appearances in the 2019-20 season when Liverpool won the Premier League title.

Adrian also played a few matches in the triumphant UEFA Super Cup campaign in 2019. He was also a key to Liverpool’s UEFA Super Cup win. Adrian saved Tammy Abraham’s penalty in the final as his team beat Chelsea 5-4 in the tie-breaker. He has not featured in a competitive game since the 2022 FA Community Shield final where Liverpool defeated Manchester City 3-1.

Liverpool broke the news of Adrian’s departure through an online statement which read, “Adrian departs Liverpool this summer having made a valuable contribution to the club’s successes across his five years at Anfield. A popular figure among team-mates and staff alike, Adrian leaves the Reds with the best wishes of everybody at the club.”

The veteran goalkeeper also shared a video on social media where he reflected on his five-year-long journey with Liverpool. “Dear Reds, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have given me during this beautiful and successful journey together. In five years you have shown me so many things. Wearing a Liverpool shirt and defending the Liverpool badge at Anfield should be added to the seven wonders of the world,” Adrian was heard saying in a clip shared on Instagram.

Following the departure of Adrian, the new Liverpool boss Slot is likely to use young goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros as Alisson Becker’s deputy in the first team. Meanwhile, Adrian may play against his ex-club when Real Betis take on Liverpool in a pre-season friendly in Pittsburgh on July 27.

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