With Thibaut Courtois finally set to return from Atletico Madrid, Chelsea have serious competition for the position between the sticks. The 22-year-old Belgian has been on loan at the Spanish club since 2011, and he has since managed to make a real name for himself during a move initially made for him to gain playing time.
The experience from his three years in Spain could prove invaluable regarding Courtois’ future. Rather than being at an average side simply to receive gametime, Atletico have progressed enormously with the young goalkeeper at the club. The fact that they won a trophy each season since he became their number one is evidence of this; the 2012 Europa League was followed by the 2013 Copa del Rey and an incredible 2014 that included a La Liga title and a Champions League final appearance.
The man Courtois has to displace at Stamford Bridge is 32-year-old Petr Cech, who has now been at the club for a decade and enjoyed every bit of success since the Blues’ return to glory. With 470 appearances in all competitions, there is a very literal sense to the suggestion that the Czech Republic goalkeeper has he has won it all with Chelsea. Three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups sum up their domestic dominance, whilst winning both the Champions League and the Europa League represents how strong the club are in Europe.
According to the Guardian, Jose Mourinho recently stated that the most important thing about the goalkeeper situation Chelsea is that the supporters are happy, which they should be after the Portuguese manager himself described it as “fantastic”. The goalkeepers themselves, however, may not see it as being so ideal.
It is fair to say that Courtois will provide the biggest threat to Cech in his 10 years at the club. Virtually the same age as the Blues’ current stopper was when he first arrived at Stamford Bridge, this could now be the youngster’s time to shine.