Chelsea keeper still misinterpreted as club plans for the future

Thibaut Courtois cannot open his mouth without being misinterpreted these days. Chelsea want to keep him but have formed a contingency plan.

Weeks ago, Courtois made comments about his “heart” being in Real Madrid. They were universally misinterpreted.

Once more, he has said something that meant one thing while the media and fans have taken it entirely differently.

After the Barcelona match, Courtois said his agent would listen if Real Madrid president Florentino Perez called. This sparked reports that Courtois would stall over his contract and that the club has shortlisted a replacement.

This is a multifaceted story that Courtois keeps seeing the short end of. Fans hurled abuse towards him for entertaining the notion of a Perez called. The missing factor is that every player in the world would do the same.

There is simply no player anywhere that will not pick up the phone when Real Madrid calls. They will all listen to what he has to say. But listening is not agreeing and that is a step that is skipped when people jump to criticize.

Regardless, reports launched that Real Madrid wanted Courtois to stall on his contract until April. Then, they would decide if they wanted him or David de Gea. That is frankly laughable.

The ignored part of Courtois’ interview is when he says “I am happy and I can also extend. I do not forget that Chelsea has supported me since the beginning”. That does not scream of a player who would play Chelsea while flirting with Real Madrid. Not to mention that if the reports are stalling are true, Courtois is walking a fine line.

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If Courtois is stalling, and Real Madrid decide to pursue De Gea, that leaves the Belgian and Chelsea in an awkward position. The player will have batted his eyes towards Madrid and the club will have a keeper of questionable commitment. It would not be an uncrossable bridge but it would make for a few awkward months.

Nearly everything Courtois has said has pointed towards him wanting to stay. But a smart club assumes nothing and Chelsea have supposedly created a contingency plan. Alisson Becker of Roma is viewed as available and the club would once again tap into the well they found in Rome.

The biggest concern with Courtois leaving was replacing him with an able keeper. Good keepers are extremely hard to aquire and can be the difference between a great team and a good one. Liverpool, Arsenal and even Manchester City last season all struggled despite having strong squads because their keepers were good enough.

So targeting Alisson would be a shrewd move by Chelsea. They have a preexisting relationship with Roma who are still desperate for cash to comply with Financial Fair Play. Serie A is just outside of view enough that few clubs would challenge. And the Brazilian’s stats speak for themselves.

Regardless of what happens, Chelsea look set to have a good keeper between the sticks. Courtois seems keen to stay despite everything he says taking on a new meaning. And the club are prepared with a good target if he does go.

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The coming months will continue to shape this story. The situation needs a quick resolution. If this goes on into the summer, someone is going to fall short of what they want.