When is the right time to let go of the past and pave way for the future? Chelsea are still with Petr Cech at goal, usually in pretty good form, but sticking with the Czech goalkeeper might cause them to give up and lose the very talented Thibaut Courtois to Atletico Madrid or any other club that’s interested in him.
Courtois is loaned to Atletico Madrid for the second consecutive season, and is leaving a lot of people impressed with his ability in the Spanish capital once again. Part of the Belgian “golden generation”, yet to win or even qualify to a major tournament, the 20 year old Courtois has kept 25 clean sheets in his 56 league matches for Atletico, helping them concede less than a goal per game so far this season (21 in 22 matches).
Courtois was purchased by Chelsea from Genk in Belgium as a teenager, signing in 2011 on a five year contract. While there is still time to loan him out and wait for Cech to decline while checking out the progress of the very talented youngster (7 caps for the national team), Atletico Madrid (and possibly even Barcelona) are starting to press Chelsea with inquiries regarding making his move from England to Spain a permanent one, hoping to purchase the player and secure their future between the goalposts.
According to some in the British press, Chelsea’s goalkeeping coach, Christophe Lollichon, flew to Madrid to check up on Courtois and his wishes. Rumors suggest that the Belgian wants to push for a permanent stay with Atletico, knowing that he isn’t likely to start anytime soon with Chelsea – not just because of form, but because of Cech’s current stature at the club. Chelsea also tried purchasing Jack Butland last week, but the young English goalkeeper preferred signing with a club he has a better chance of playing for.