Chelsea are reportedly preparing for the departure of Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid. Courtois, who was extremely impressive in the World Cup seems to have earned a move to the Spanish giants after being consistently brilliant for Chelsea over the past few years.
Madrid are trying to lure Courtois and while they have time till the end of August to do so, the same cannot be said of Chelsea. The English transfer market for buying players ends on 9th August and hence Chelsea are reportedly planning to replace their Belgian superstar with Englishman Jordan Pickford.
Like Courtois, even Pickford performed well in the World Cup and was instrumental in England’s first ever penalty shootout victory against Colombia.
He produced a string of crucial saves and was one of the top performers for England in the tournament. Pickford had moved to Everton from Sunderland last summer and settled in well after a shaky start at the Merseyside.
He was eventually voted as the club’s Player of the Year, as Pickford was arguably the only player who managed to put up impressive displays consistently.
While Pickford is not the tallest goalkeeper around, he is commanding and athletic, something that helps him in making superb long-distance saves. He is very vocal and regularly communicates with the defenders keeping them on their toes.
He is not shy to come out of his line to thwart the danger and makes himself bigger to put himself in a strong position during one on one situations.
But Chelsea will surely try their best to hold on to Courtois. Yes, Real Madrid generally get the players they want especially when all their fax machines are operational but the Blues should try and convince the lanky keeper to consider staying back.
The Belgian previously represented Atletico Madrid and was a part of the team which lost in the final against Real Madrid in 2013/14. Hence, it is quite clear that he is aware of the nature of play in the La Liga as well.
On the back of a strong World Cup, his confidence must be extremely high and that would help him settle quicker at Madrid if the move materialises.
The UCL champions are looking for a more assured player at the back and Courtois possesses the mentality and mettle that successful goalkeepers require.
It would be a huge, profitable jump in both goalkeepers’ careers. With Courtois intent on leaving, I believe that the deal is beneficial for all parties involved, provided Chelsea manage to convince Everton on letting go of their star man.
