03 Jun 2025 11:51:09
Fresh links to Mike Maignan, who admittedly is becoming the goalkeeping version of Hulk, today.
It'd definitely make sense, upgrading what we have, adding leadership and experience to the lineup. Plus he's perfect age to be a bridge between now and Penders potentially developing in our number one.
03 Jun 2025 12:23:07
I was a fan of his but Costa is a far superior keeper and he would be my choice all day long.
03 Jun 2025 15:42:23
Mike Maignan is one of the top 10 keepers in Europe and would be a great signing but is it just conjecture?
03 Jun 2025 20:34:29
Interesting – I remember when we were linked with him in 2020 and went for Mendy instead due to the price Lille set on him. There was a stats comparison between the keepers we were linked with on WAGNH at the time, and he didn't come out of that looking great, but I think he's improved a lot since then. Wasn't he missing for AC Milan for a fair chunk of the season last year though? Adding another injury-prone player seems mad, especially when Petrovich was the Ligue 1 keeper of the year.
03 Jun 2025 21:05:36
It appears Petrovic has a release clause in his contract following his loan and has activated it which totally rules him out of the equation! I would just go with Sanchez who has improved as the season has gone on and put him up against young Penders and Jorgi.
03 Jun 2025 23:55:16
Can we sign Emi Martinez instead?
04 Jun 2025 08:35:50
RPD
not sure how a player can activate a release clause.
04 Jun 2025 09:09:49
Like you Bill I also have no idea how these things work but it is widely reported that part of his loan to Strasbourg involved an option for him to leave the club at the end of the deal and he has activated that option.
04 Jun 2025 17:36:36
I had thought Kelleher might have been a target. Certainly been impressed by him. But gather he is off to Brentford.
Haven't watched either Maignan or Costs so don't know who is better.
But are either better than Petrovich?
04 Jun 2025 19:21:19
JBS, I personally think that Kelleher is bang average.
If we can’t get Costa then let’s not bother would be my preferred outcome.
04 Jun 2025 19:35:08
More to the point JBS are any of them better than Sanchez (based on form since being dropped in February)? At 6 feet 7 he is very strong in the air and his shot stopping is exellent, 10 clean sheets in 32 games with a very different back 4 in front of him most of the season. It is maybe not a coincidence that when Maresca changed his tactics towards the end of the season and started to go longer when needed as opposed to the pathetic tip tappy back passes Sanchez looked way more assured and cut out the costly errors that come with over playing from the back. We also settled on a steady back 4 with the group looking far more compact and again led to improved keeper performaces. I'm not totally convinced but a lot more Chelsea fans on the other forums are starting to say the same thing, should we just stick with Sanchez? It also appears the club will not pay what Milan want so Mike Maignan will not happen (shame, because he would provide very decent competition for Sanchez) and I do believe Petrovich has asked to leave. Kelleher is no better than what we currently have and who else is available? Trafford from Burnley would be my choice if Maignan doesn't arrive but I think he is Newcastle bound? We await with interest.
04 Jun 2025 21:59:57
RPD, this may sound as if I have got a downer on all keepers but if Trafford is on our radar I would be astonished. He may well improve over time but as things stand today he seems to me to be way overrated.
05 Jun 2025 16:30:49
RPD. have you had a bump on the head. a couple of decent games surely can't convince you sanchez is even close to being good enough. the man was 3rd choice for brighton and doesn't get into the majority of sides in the league. he's nervous and looks likely to gift a goal to the opposition in almost every game i've seen him play.
06 Jun 2025 05:43:20
I would rather stick with Sanchez/ Jorgenson than some of the keepers we have been linked to in including Martinez at Villa.
The keepers at Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle and Forest are good but I can’t think of many others that are to far above average.
As I’ve said before I was big fan of MM but the standout keeper, who might be available is Costa and I would go for him.
07 Jun 2025 14:33:03
Tom, I agree about Costa but I think that boat has sailed . He had a release clause of €60 million last summer and we stuck with Sanchez. Now Man City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are after him.
09 Jun 2025 04:38:43
Jimbo, we have more than one keeper.
The fact that other clubs are after him doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be or that he wouldn’t prefer to be in London playing for Chelsea.