The Pride of London
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Four targets as Chelsea bumble into goalkeeper chase

By Barrett Rouen

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Luis Suarez of Barcelona celebrates after Lionel Messi (Not pictured) of Barcelona scores his sides first goal, as Thibaut Courtois of Chelsea looks dejected during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on February 20, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Luis Suarez of Barcelona celebrates after Lionel Messi (Not pictured) of Barcelona scores his sides first goal, as Thibaut Courtois of Chelsea looks dejected during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on February 20, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: General view of the Chelsea corner flag during The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Chelsea and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on February 16, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Alban LaFont

LaFont is a phenomenally talented young man and would give Chelsea a proper shot at a 700 appearance player if they got him. He mixes the athletic, shot stopping ability of a young David De Gea with a strong sense of positioning for his early years. If he is coached properly, it is genuinely impossible to tell how high his potential is.

Luckily, Chelsea have Christophe Lollichon on staff despite Courtois’ best efforts to mire him in blame for his poor performances in recent years. Lollichon could build LaFont into a keeper better than Petr Cech.

At 18, Chelsea would need to be patient with him. If they can stick with him, Chelsea could very well have their best ever club goalkeeper on their hands.

It will take time for him to bed in and get used to the Premier League and playing in England. Chelsea’s lack of Champions League football could be very useful on that front. He will not be under too much pressure too quickly and with a large amount of French speaking players in the squad LaFont will be able to adjust quickly.

He is a phenomenal young player and this is the sort of move Chelsea should be making for today, tomorrow and ten years from now which is exactly why it probably will not happen. There are rumors he will be snapped up by Crystal Palace soon which is the best business that club might do for a decade. LaFont will quite possibly be a record breaking buy four years from now. Chelsea should do their absolute best to steal in on that deal.

Nick Pope

Nick Pope was one of the best goalkeepers in Europe last season. Statistically, he had one of the highest save percentages. People will overthink this, but Chelsea make perhaps the best move they can make for the summer if they sign Pope.

Pope would be a perfect buy for Chelsea. He is a phenomenal shot stopper, communicator and organizer of his defence. He could work a little bit more on his distribution but he does everything else phenomenally. He is a leader at the back and a high character player who would immediately add charisma, character, and steel to a Chelsea side who have grown soft in recent years.

He would immediately endear himself to the Chelsea faithful and provide Chelsea with a genuine building block moving forward. The side has gotten away from the English core that provided them with that veritable Chelsea swagger in years gone by. He would provide all the on field and off field unspoken qualities that silently make Chelsea who they are and that Courtois lacks.

There is a legitimate chance Pope is the best move Chelsea could make. Usually, an assurance that they will not do it.

Next: Chelsea looking at stop gaps and strikers they cannot afford

Who should replace Courtois if he goes? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!

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