Chelsea has little time to cope with Thibaut Courtois’ last minute decision. The club’s keeper next season will come down to how desperate they are now.
Chelsea has been preparing for Courtois’ departure all summer. Primarily, that was done primarily in the event that he did not extend his contract. Alisson was the clear first choice target, but when he went to Liverpool, the Blues entered a holding pattern.
At that point, Chelsea’s board was content to see how things played out. If Courtois could return and speak with new manager Maurizio Sarri, perhaps things could be different. But Courtois took the most despicable option and decided to break his contract obligations and go AWOL to force a move.
Chelsea, perhaps, should have seen that coming. Now the Blues have mere days left to scramble for a replacement. Who they ultimately acquire, or even if they acquire someone, will largely come down to how desperate the club is to find a new starting keeper.
Primarily, there have been three targets strongly touted by various sources since it became clear Courtois was not going to show. From least desperate to most they are Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid, Kepa Arrizabalaga of Athletic Bilbao, and Jack Butland of Stoke City.
The first two have the advantage of release clauses. Oblak’s is £89 million while Kepa’s is £71 million. Both would be record setting fees for the Blues and even worldwide when it comes to keepers. The advantage is that by triggering the clause, negotiation with the club is taken out of the equation. That is where Chelsea has struggled most in recent windows and it would speed to process out (albeit for massive fees). Then it is only a question of whether the player would be interested.
Oblak would most likely not be interested. The cult of Atletico Madrid is strong and he would be leaving a good, stable club situation for the chaos that is Chelsea. He is the only “available” keeper that could possibly match or even surpass Courtois on such short notice, but convincing him to join the Blues would be a massive ask.
Kepa is far more likely. He extended his contract in January when Real Madrid was sniffing around, but by all reports he appears interested in the deal. He is young (23), and not yet as skilled as Courtois. But he has time to grow and is much more suited to the style that Sarri wants to implement. He would be a risk, but perhaps one worth taking.
Then there is Butland, the safety school of goalkeepers. Butland is English and is sure to leave Stoke if asked. Stoke are sure to sell for a low price rather than pay his wages on a Championship budget. And that is about all the positives that come with Butland. He would not be an improvement over any of the current keepers at Chelsea bar Robert Green. But, because he is a sure thing, if Chelsea are desperate enough they can acquire his services.
Then there is one more option (well two really). That would be to trust Willy Caballero or Marcin Bulka to be the starting keeper. That would be a big ask for both, but it would be far easier than finding a new keeper in less than 72 hours.
Chelsea will have to decide how desperate they are soon and act quickly. The keeper position is far too vital to hand to just anyone. How desperate the Blues are in the next few days will determine who is between the sticks next season.