Chelsea has had some swings and misses over the last few years in the transfer market. This is especially true when discussing the position between the sticks for the Blues following the departure of long-time goalkeeper Petr Cech in the mid-2010s. Thibaut Courtois was named the heir apparent to the club legend, and the Belgian was supposed to solidify the keeper position for the next decade-plus at Stamford Bridge. However, Real Madrid came calling and the offer was too good for Courtois to refuse. This is when Chelsea’s world came crashing down and the mad dash for a new starting goalkeeper commenced.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was signed for a world record fee from Athletic Bilbao and all seemed right in the world again. The Blues had a great young keeper who they locked up for years to come. He excelled under Maurizio Sarri’s guidance, winning the UEFA Europa League during his debut campaign. However, once Frank Lampard took over, Arrizabalaga’s performances declined. Chelsea turned to Willy Caballero during some of the biggest matches of the season and the club found itself back at square one when it came to finding a suitable No. 1 goalkeeper.
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The Blues soon replaced Arrizabalaga with a relatively unknown Senegalese international named Edouard Mendy. Suffice it to say, the former Rennes star has been a huge success around SW6 since his arrival a few seasons ago. Mendy has locked up a starting spot for the foreseeable future after winning a handful of continental trophies, but that doesn’t mean Chelsea can’t start searching for his eventual replacement as he recently turned 30. That’s exactly what it has done with its third signing of the summer, Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina.
It’s time to take a deep dive into the young career of the Blues’ latest talented teenager:
1. History
As alluded to already, there really isn’t much to talk about in this portion of the piece. Slonina just turned 18 years old in May. This means he’s not got the lengthy track record of Chelsea’s other two signings, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly. The Addison, Illinois native didn’t burst onto the scene until the age of 12 when he signed for his local MLS club. Slonina quickly made an impression on the Chicago Fire though, who signed him to a professional contract less than three years later. The goalkeeper became the youngest addition to the Illinois-based club and the second-youngest signing in the history of the American top division.
Slonina continued to break records when he made his debut in 2021 against the soon-to-be MLS champion, New York City FC. At 17 years and 81 days old, the American became the youngest starting goalkeeper in the league’s 26-year history. Slonina’s four saves helped the Fire earn a result, a 0-0 draw with NYCFC, as he became—you guessed it—the youngest keeper to record a clean sheet in MLS history. He spent the next seven matches on the bench before taking over as the team’s No. 1 shot stopper for the remainder of the season (10 games). The teenager’s debut campaign concluded with him tallying 11 matches in total, where he kept four clean sheets.
Chicago put its trust in its youngster ahead of the 2021/22 season, naming him the team’s starting goalkeeper going forward. Although he has now officially completed his move to Chelsea, he will remain with his boyhood club until the MLS season concludes in January. There may not be much history on the young shot-stopper, but he’s shown flashes of being an exceptional talent during the last few years. It’s now time to take a look at whether or not he’s any good.
Spoiler alert: he is very good.
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.
3. What does this mean for the goalkeepers?
The remainder of the season will continue to give fans an answer to the inquiry about his true skill. It will also help Thomas Tuchel and his staff decide what to do with the 18-year-old once he comes to Cobham in January. In all honesty, Slonina’s addition does little to move the needle as it relates to the Blues’ goalkeeper situation ahead of the 2022/23 season. He and Eddie Beach, an 18-year-old signed from Southampton earlier in the window, have Chelsea ready for the future between the sticks though.
For this season, Chelsea’s goalkeeper situation still seems a bit unsettled. It goes without saying that Mendy will be Tuchel’s No. 1 for the entirety of the campaign. The Senegalese shot-stopper is one of the world’s best and he’s done a fantastic job for the club since coming over from France two seasons ago. Beyond Mendy is where things get a bit confusing with the Blues likely to be in the market for a back-up within the coming weeks.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s days at Chelsea look to be numbered. The Spaniard is simply too good to be rotting away on the Blues’ bench for a majority of the season. He has been in constant discussions with the club all summer about a move away. A lot of teams across the continent are not able to afford his wages. Thus, Chelsea will have to cover some of them if he is to go out on loan, which looks to be the likeliest scenario. Napoli is the most interested party to date.
Once Arrizabalaga is gone, the fun begins. If the Blues truly believe that Slonina will be ready to take on a big role within the year, they can promote the third keeper, Marcus Bettinelli, to the No. 2 role until January. Academy keeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe could slot into Bettinelli’s “old” (in this hypothetical) role and remain there until Slonina joins up with Chelsea in January. This is unlikely though as making the jump from Major League Soccer to the Premier League comes with a steep learning curve, especially for a U20 player.
In all likelihood, the Blues will sign a back-up goalkeeper off the streets or move for a low cost option ahead of the summer transfer deadline. Bettinelli will remain the third choice, Sharman-Lowe could embark on a loan to build up confidence and Slonina’s future remains under wraps until he joins up with his new club in England during the January transfer window.
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