Chelsea: Rob Green signing gives Thibaut Courtois even more leverage

Chelsea signing 38-year old Rob Green compounded Thibaut Courtois’ leverage in his ongoing contract negotiations. The Blues have little choice but to give the Belgian whatever he wants.

Thibaut Courtois often finds himself allied with Chelsea’s adversaries. He was likely in that position again last week, joining in the worldwide-except-for-Chelsea-fans bemusement about the Blues’ second signing of the summer, Rob Green. Yes, signing Green opened a spot elsewhere in the pitch for a non-homegrown player. But by confirming Chelsea’s status as a retirement home for backup goalkeepers, Green’s arrival put Courtois firmly in control of the starting goalkeeper situation.

Maurizio Sarri does not seem the type to throw Marcin Bulka into the deep end as a Premier League starter after nothing but a few preseason appearances with the first team. And despite Sarri’s affinity for aging players, he will not want to make Willy Caballero Chelsea’s starting keeper.

Had Chelsea signed anybody but Green, there could still be debate around the top spot. Petr Cech is not the goalkeeper he was during his prime years at Chelsea, but he is still one of the all-time greats. Kaspar Schmeichel is no one’s idea of the perfect Blue between the sticks, but he is still a Premier League calibre keeper and only 31 years old. He is also homegrown, and a title-winner to boot.

But Green is just… Green. He is there solely as the third-string goalkeeper. The club explicitly stated in their official announcement that Green would be a backup to the backup this season. It’s telling and sad that they needed to make that clear. He has no chance of competing for the starting spot. He will not keep the pressure on Courtois to keep the complacency and attitude in check.

Had the Blues not signed Green, Marcin Bulka could at least be some level of threat to Courtois’ place in the club. But now the options for Bulka are either being Chelsea’s No. 1, returning to the development squad or going on loan. The only thing that could re-open Bulka’s fortunes is Chelsea letting Willy Caballero leave on a free transfer. But after his performance in the World Cup, the Blues are almost certainly stuck with him.

With Caballero and Green in reserve, the starting goalkeeper sits on his throne. If Chelsea and their starting goalkeeper were happy together, this would be a tolerable – if not ideal – situation. But Chelsea have no such comity with Courtois. Unfortunately, they also have no real alternative.

Chelsea may come to regret loaning Jamal Blackman so early in the window. Blackman is completely untested at the Premier League level, but he has performed well enough in the Championship to be a credible fall-back option. Unlike Bulka, Caballero and Green, Blackman is in his 20s and is in the main upswing of his career path. Chelsea would have to recalibrate their ambitions if Blackman was their starter, but less than they would with any of their other trio of bad options. And, for once, it would be a move for the future.

But it need not have come to that. Chelsea only needed Blackman around to be a foil in their negotiations with Courtois. As a goalkeeper he will not have Courtois quaking in his boots, but he is enough of a presence for Courtois to think “Hmm, maybe they can get by without me. Maybe they do have options and can afford to say no.” And then, after resolving things with Courtois, the club would have had the option of keeping Blackman as Courtois’ back-up (see also: Begovic, Asmir) or loaned him out. Instead, the club loaned their leverage before they could use it.

Chelsea need Thibaut Courtois like never before, and he will know this. He can make any demands he wants, and the club will have to meet them. Otherwise, he will submit a transfer request and Real Madrid will submit an offer, and the Blues will be left with Caballero and Green. Hopefully they will hold off on loaning Bulka until they know for sure how much they will need him.