5 potential top-level replacements for Courtois if he leaves Chelsea

It is looking like unless Chelsea gives him what he wants, Belgian number one Thibaut Courtois might be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.

There have been rumors about the giant goalies’ unhappiness with the terms of the contract renewal he is being offered as well as the club’s reticence at spending to compete with the Manchester giants. Domestically and the European elite.

He is said to currently earn about £120,000 per week and while Chelsea is said to have offered a £160,000-week basic wage for Courtois to renew, the Belgian is said to be asking to be paid about £200,000 per week which would make him the highest paid goalie in the world.

Given Real Madrid’s reported interest in signing him and the fact that the Belgian’s contract elapses next season, the Blues are said to be already making plans for a world-class replacement just in case they lose the player.

Here are a few classy goalies who could replace Courtois long term at the club:

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#5 Jack Butland (Stoke City & England)

Butland would be a more than able replacement if Courtois leaves

Potential Fee: £50m

The argument over who should be England’s number one goalie at the World Cup is one that has been raging for a while and given the options available, Stoke’s Butland is the popular choice to step in and become the Thee Lions shot-stopper of choice.

Renowned for his excellent reflexes especially in one-on-one and aerial situations, the former Birmingham trainee has shone consistently in a team that has struggled defensively.

In the tradition of English goalkeepers, Butland is not the best at passing the ball out or initiating attacks like most foreign modern goalkeepers. However, he excels in the traditional English goalie traits, bravery, aerial ability, shot stopping and organizing his backline.

The Bristol-born goalie is capable of stepping into the rather large goalkeeping shoes at Stamford Bridge as the Blues have had a long succession of top-class goalies manning the post in the last two decades.

A strong goalkeeper with good reflexes will be an asset to a Chelsea side that does not always display the old defensive solidity we have come to expect from the team.

#4 Alphonse Areola (PSG & France)

Areola is a brilliant goalie who has a similar style to Courtois

Potential Fee: £40m

For a long time, there have been positive vibes from France concerning the 1.95m goalie as the long-term competition/replacement for current national team 1st choice and captain, Hugo Lloris.

Areola has had to go out on loan for a while before getting his chance to impress at PSG, a chance he has grabbed with both hands.

Ever since being given the chance at an extended run by manager Unai Emery, the French international has performed creditably keeping former number one; German international Kevin Trapp on the bench.

However, rumors linking big-name goalies like David De Gea, Jan Oblak, Thibault Courtois to the club have refused to abate and given the club’s financial splurge on players, since it was taken over by Oryx Qatar Sports Investments 2011, these rumors are not far-fetched.

Given Areola’s relative youth and abilities, he would make a good replacement for Courtois in the event that the Belgian leaves West London.

With his place in France’s World Cup squad almost assured but with pressure from outstanding young goalies like Alban Lafont (Toulouse), Areola will be willing to go somewhere where he is assured of becoming the undisputed number one.

#3 Gigi Donnarumma (AC Milan & Italy)

The golden boy of Italian football can be the new Cech for the Blues

Potential Fee: £70m

The golden boy of goalkeeping in Italian football, a lot is being expected of this gentle giant who is more than capable of stepping into Courtois’ shoes at Stamford Bridge (and bettering his achievements as well).

Agile, fast off his feet with a good command of his penalty area and the ability to make superlative saves look routine, “Gigio” definitely looks to be headed to the top of world football and his signing would be a coup of monumental proportions for Arsenal.

In Donnarumma, Chelsea will be getting a youngster (he turns 19 in February) who while already very good has the ability to become the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the Blues eclipsing even legends like Ed de Goey, Carlo Cudicini, Petr Cech and even Courtois himself.

The love-hate relationship with the Milan faithful seems to have reached his breaking point after a section of the crowd accused him of being a traitor to the cause, insults which caused him to break down in tears.

He will definitely not come cheap as reports have it that he will cost about £70m (a world record for a goalie) but given his youth and potential, it will be seen as a bargain in the next couple of decades

#2 Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen & Germany)

The German is very experienced given his age and would guarantee success for the Blues

Potential Fee: £50m

Were it not for the superlative talents of Manuel Neuer and to a lesser extent, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, it is not in doubt that Bayer 04’s Leno would be the German national team’s number one goalie

At the relatively tender age of 25, Leno has been between the posts as an ever-present one for the Werkself since he made his debut for the club in 2011.

An impressive shot-stopper who also commands his area very well and is not so bad at initiating attacks, it is a testament to how underrated he is that whenever rumors about top goalies been scouted come up, his name is usually omitted from these discussions.

Standing at an impressive 1.90m, the native of Bietigheim-Bissingen has a long handspan that helps him in making the most ridiculous of saves and it is not an uncommon sight to his name whenever video compilations for great saves in the Bundesliga are made, season on season.

Following from some error-strewn performances at the Confederations Cup last year, some pundits have opined that a move to a bigger club would be great for Leno as he will be forced to step up his performances and become the goalkeeper everyone feels he can still become.

The backbone of a very exciting and dynamic Bayer Leverkusen team, sporting director Rudi Voeller would not let him go easily but if Chelsea’s transfer tsarina Marina Granovskaia can get the deal done, the Blues will get a super goalkeeper who would do the job for the next couple of years.

#1 Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid & Slovenia)

The undisputed first choice to replace Courtois, Oblak is the one keeper big clubs are looking at

Potential Fee: £88m

One of the premier goalkeepers on the world and one who would walk into the first team of any club on the face of the planet, Oblak is one goalie whose future will continue to attract the most scrutiny.

Like they have done with strikers and goalkeepers for the best part of two decades, Atleti struck gold when they got the tall Slovenian international to switch to the Spanish capital from Portuguese Primera Liga giants Benfica in 2014 for what now seems a bargain fee of €16 million (this fee made him the most expensive goalie of all time in La Liga).

Great shot stopper, excellent commander of the defence line and able to initiate counter attacks with his long kicks and throws, Oblak is one of the few goalies who would step into the Chelsea team and the rhythm would keep going as he is at the same world-class level as Courtois (some insist he is even better).

Diego Simeone would be loath to lose such an important member of his team but given the fact that La Liga insists on buyout clauses for all players in the league, El Cholo would be powerless to stop a move to Stamford Bridge if the Blues can come to an arrangement with Oblak.