Chelsea want £58m star who’d be their best since Courtois

Since Thibaut Courtois left Chelsea in 2018, joining Real Madrid for around £35m, the Blues have struggled to find a permanent number one between the sticks to replace him. Courtois made 154 appearances for Chelsea, conceding just 152 goals and keeping 58 clean sheets.

Chelsea signed Kepa Arrizabalaga in 2018, in an attempt to replace Courtois, for a whopping £71.6m, making him the most expensive goalkeeper of all time. Kepa made 163 appearances for the Blues, conceding 175 times and keeping 59 clean sheets.

The closest Chelsea have come to effectively replacing Courtois, is Edouard Mendy, who signed for the Blues from Rennes for around £22m in 2020. The Senegal international kept 49 clean sheets in just 105 games for the club, playing a massive hand in their Champions League triumph in 2021.

However, in the modern game, goalkeepers are required to do so much more than just stop shots. Their ability on the ball, to join in during the build-up, play out from the back, and even pick direct passes to the forwards is extremely important, which could see Chelsea dip into the transfer market yet again.

Chelsea’s search for a goalkeeper

According to reports from CaughtOffside, Chelsea remain interested in Porto goalkeeper, Diogo Costa. However, the Blues could face competition for the 25-year-old shot-stopper, as Bayern Munich also appear to be interested in Costa, to replace Manuel Neuer who is considering his retirement at the end of this season.

Costa has made 167 appearances for Porto, conceding just 142 goals, whilst keeping 71 clean sheets and totaling 15,111 minutes played. He is also the Portugal number one, already having 31 caps for his country.

The in-demand talent would cost around £58m according to the reports, but he could prove to be the long-term answer Chelsea have been looking for since losing Courtois in 2018, providing a mixture of elite shot-stopping, and comfortable on-ball traits.

Robert Sanchez vs Diogo Costa comparison

Sanchez was signed by Chelsea in 2023, joining from Brighton for around £25m. He was quickly replaced as the number one last season, with Mauricio Pochettino preferring Djordje Petrovic between the sticks, after Sanchez made multiple errors leading to goals early in the campaign.

However, with Enzo Maresca’s appointment, Sanchez has found himself reinstated as the Chelsea number one, with the Italian manager wanting composure on the ball from his goalkeeper, and a willingness to play out from the back, sticking to the gameplan, and not panicking on the ball.

Costa, who has been described as “superman” by Jacek Kulig, has a higher clean sheet rate, fewer goals against, and a better pass completion percentage than Chelsea’s Sanchez. The Spanish goalkeeper is making more saves per 90, but this is also due to the 5.22 shots being conceded per 90, compared to the 2.81 against Costa per 90.

One positive Sanchez does have over Costa, is his ability to prevent crosses, and provide the team with high claims/punches, due to his 6 foot 5 frame. Costa, on the other hand, is just 6 foot 1, opting to stay on his line more often, and trust his reactions with shots from crosses.

Whilst he may not have the height of Sanchez or Courtois, Costa could be exactly what Chelsea need, in order to aid the build-up from the back, whilst also providing the defenders with the assurance and protection if shots do make it on goal.

The goalkeeping department has been a problem position for a number of years now at Stamford Bridge, yet the Porto titan could represent the long-awaited solution.