Chelsea has a lot of issues to solve within its squad over the next few months. The transfer window officially opens soon, which means Todd Boehly, Marina Granovskaia and Thomas Tuchel need to hit the ground running as they prepare for the upcoming season. The Blues have a handful of different situations that need to be addressed before the club travels stateside for its preseason tune-ups next month. There isn’t a single area of the pitch that doesn’t have at least one question mark surrounding it as things currently stand.
The previous departures and wantaway players will create some pressing issues in the coming weeks. Despite being last on Tuchel’s summer checklist, the goalkeeper position has some real potential going forward. Edouard Mendy has obviously locked down the No. 1 role for years to come, but what about his back-up between the sticks? There are a number of ways that Chelsea could approach this unique situation. The Blues have been given a golden opportunity in the transfer market though that could solve all of their problems, even before they arise.
Chelsea has been given a golden opportunity to pursue Brice Samba this summer
The Athletic’s David Ornstein dropped a bomb on the footballing world on Wednesday morning when he reported that Nottingham Forest No. 1 Brice Samba will not sign a contract extension this summer. This was followed by a claim that the goalkeeper intends to pursue a transfer away from the newly promoted club. Samba is apparently unhappy with the Reds’ hierarchy waiting until promotion to offer him a new deal, despite his solid performances throughout the season. Although he was in line to start in the Premier League, he now seems ready to depart.
This presents a unique chance for Chelsea. The Blues are likely going to offload Kepa Arrizabalaga in the summer transfer window following the shot-stopper’s impressive campaign as a No. 2. The Spaniard is desperate to get into the World Cup squad for his country ahead of December’s international competition, the club is eager to get his wages off its books and the reality is Arrizabalaga is good enough to be a top level starter elsewhere. Finding a suitable replacement isn’t an easy task, but Samba’s departure could prove to be a timely one.
Chelsea needs to sign Samba as a Kepa replacement. This dude is cool as a cucumber in penalty shootouts.
— Gabe Henderson (@GabeHSports) May 17, 2022
The Congolese keeper has played nearly 200 matches during his senior football career, so he’s got enough experience to be a decent back-up to Mendy. Furthermore—and perhaps more importantly than actual experience—he’s racked up over 60 clean sheets during that period with mediocre defenses in front of him. Samba will be available for relatively cheap too. Nottingham Forest must be swift when cashing in on its keeper (valued at £2.2 million) before his contract runs down below a year later this summer.
This situation has the potential to be a win-win-win. Samba could get his move away to a club much larger than the one he’s currently at, the Blues could get an alternate keeper on much lower wages and Nottingham Forest could resolve its situation between the sticks early on in the transfer window. Further, Chelsea forward Armando Broja is said to be an option for the Reds as they look to bolster their attack ahead of their return to the English top flight. A loan move could presumably be facilitated if Nottingham Forest cooperates in the Blues’ pursuit of Samba.
If the 28-year-old keeper doesn’t move to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea has a number of other options. It could opt to keep Arrizabalaga around for another season if worst comes to worst. However, it’s unlikely the situation comes to that. The Blues are said to be keen on promoting youngster Nathan Baxter to the first team following a successful season with Hull City.
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