Chelsea’s talented teen Gabriel Slonina: Who the hell are you? (Vol. 23)
2. Is he any good?
As the previous slide revealed, there isn’t much to go off when it comes to judging Slonina’s talent. The teenager’s debut campaign concluded with him tallying just 11 matches in total, which isn’t many games at all. However, he did manage to keep four clean sheets during that time, which is impressive for a 17-year-old playing in any top division. The 2021/22 season has confirmed supports’ suspicions though, Slonina is an excellent goalkeeper, despite still being a teenager.
Slonina has repaid the club for its trust after Chicago named him the No. 1 between the sticks before the beginning of the season. He’s kept 10 clean sheets already this year, which is joint-second on the league’s clean sheet list. In 23 games, he’s allowed an impressive 28 goals. The Fire have one of the best defenses in the MLS and Slonina’s important role in the team has them vying for an Eastern Conference playoff spot at this point in the season. All of this with the youngest starting goalkeeper in league history tending the posts.
After signing with the Blues, it was revealed that he will remain in Chicago for the remainder of the year. Slonina’s extended stay in the States will give fans more time to formulate an answer to this question if they’re not yet convinced by his statistics.
Another massive indicator of his talent is the parties that were after his signature.
Chelsea was in the running for the keeper before this MLS season even kicked off, under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, after seeing him play at the professional level less than 15 times. This means that former club employee Petr Cech—who helped identify a relatively unknown (at the time) Edouard Mendy—signed off on the talented, young star. The Blues were not alone in their pursuit though. After the UK government imposed sanctions on Chelsea, Real Madrid came crashing in, trying to hijack the deal while its English foe was tied up with its ownership situation. The Spanish giants were unsuccessful, but the interest in and of itself speaks volumes to the potential of Slonina.