Losing Thibaut Courtois is, naturally, a real concern for the Chelsea fans in the Transfer Tavern. The Belgian’s contract expires in 2019, and with no new deal in sight, he’s clearly facing an uncertain future.
What’s more, given how important he is to this team, it’s clear that he would leave a gaping hole behind in the first team squad were he to depart.
Whether he leaves or not remains to be seen, but it makes sense to consider a few potential replacements just incase he does, and our landlord thinks that Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak could be the perfect replacement.
Oblak, of course, has been the long-term replacement for Courtois at Real Madrid, after the latter moved back to Stamford Bridge after three years on loan. He’s been a seamless replacement, and particularly over the last year or so, he has caught up to Courtois in terms of his overall quality, with fantastic shot-stopping and agility helping Madrid continue their rise up the table.
At 25-years-old, he’d be a fantastic long-term solution for Chelsea, and that’s what they need. Rumblings about Courtois’ future have been ongoing for months, and Chelsea now need to turn to someone that can sit between the sticks for years without fear of a departure. Oblak would almost certainly provide that.
The Slovenian is rated at £63 million by Transfer Markt, and so he wouldn’t be a cheap option by any means, but if the Blues want genuine quality to replace Courtois – Oblak would provide it.
In truth, you could even argue that he would be an upgrade on the Belgian – and so Chelsea shouldn’t think twice about breaking the bank to land him if they need to.
Chelsea fans – thoughts?
Let us know below!
