The rising star Chelsea could sign to replace Robert Sánchez – if Man Utd don’t get there firstplaceholder image
The rising star Chelsea could sign to replace Robert Sánchez – if Man Utd don’t get there first | AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea are among several teams linked with a talented goalkeeper in Germany - but is he ready to replace Robert Sánchez?
Given the immense amount of money that Chelsea have spent and the sheer volume of players they have signed, it’s probably a source of frustration at Stamford Bridge that there is one position that they have yet to find a convincing first-choice for – goalkeeper.
Robert Sánchez is capable enough most of the time (he led the Premier League in save percentage last season) but makes mistakes with sufficient frequency that his position remains firmly in doubt, and those errors haven’t gone away since the start of the current season - an early red card at Old Trafford which condemned Chelsea to an inevitable defeat which was swiftly followed by a poor display against Brighton, for instance, and the question marks over his place are going nowhere as a result.
As such, Chelsea are routinely being linked with a move for AC Milan’s Mike Maignan despite the fact that negotiations over a transfer broke down over the summer. Maignan is a free agent at the end of the season and if Milan can’t agree a new contract then Chelsea may well pounce – but if he does decide to stay at the San Siro, then Chelsea need to find an alternative. That could be where Noah Atubolu comes in.
Why Chelsea are among the teams linked with Noah Atubolu
Despite being just 23 years old, Atubolu is already into his third season as SC Freiburg’s starting goalkeeper – and he’s broken at least two records in his short career already.
Last season, he beat Freiburg’s club record for the most minutes on the pitch without conceding a goal, comfortably passing the previous mark of 509, and then he followed that up in September by saving his fifth consecutive penalty, a Bundesliga record.
He was also superb hrow in a highlight reel filled with spectacular saves, and it’s not too hard to see why Chelsea are among the clubs said to be keeping tabs on him.
Atubolu already has 23 league clean sheets to his name, has decent distribution – even if his long passing isn’t necessarily a significant strength – and is comfortable enough coming out of his area to deal with balls over the top. When making saves, it’s his lightning-fast reflexes and reach that stand out, and he regularly pulls off the kind of low stops many goalkeepers struggle with.
When he first broke into Freiburg’s first team he made mistakes, as one might expected with a young goalkeeper, but those errors have dried up and the kind of clangers that Chelsea are a little too familiar with have become a thing of the past. Atubolu has become a reliable shot-stopper capable of making saves others can’t.
There are issues with his game, however. He is passive when crosses and high balls are put into the box, and often waits for the ball to come down and make a save rather than trying to claim the ball, which can create opportunities for the opposition that other goalkeepers might snuff out – and he’s relatively sluggish getting across the line, meaning that he can be caught out of position quite easily by crosses to the far post.
That lack of confidence against crosses and accompanying positional issues may serve to explain why a visibly brilliant shot-stopper has a relatively modest 63.9% save percentage this season (down from a much better 69.2% last year), and why advanced analytics suggest that he concedes goals at almost exactly the rate that the xG model suggests he should. The best goalkeepers prevent more goals than the stats ‘expect’ them to. Atubolu isn’t there yet.
Still, there’s little doubt that he has immense talent and if he can clean up a few faults his game then his agility and reach could make him a world-class goalkeeper. But will Chelsea take a chance on his potential in 2026?
Will Chelsea sign Atubolu next year – or could Manchester United make a move?
The link between Atubolu and Chelsea has come up in Italian media outlet Tribuna alongside Juventus, Bayern Munich and AC Milan – who are apparently considering signing the former German Under-21 international as a replacement for Maignan should he leave. Atubolu may be two teams’ Plan B at the same time.
It seems unlikely, on paper, that Atubolu would be willing to make a move which saw him signed as second choice, but he has previously given an interview to the German media in which he hinted that he would be interested in a move to the Premier League one day, which may hand teams like Chelsea and United a slight edge when the bidding war begins.
As for Chelsea’s alleged interest, much will depend on how the club view the young goalkeeper already on the books at Stamford Bridge. They have invested relatively heavily in both Filip Jörgensen, who doesn’t seem to have convinced Maresca that he’s worth an extended run in the first team, and Mike Penders, currently on loan at RC Strasbourg and yet to be given his chance to play for Chelsea. Either could be ‘next man up’ by the end of the season, which would make a move for Atubolu unlikely.
The much stronger link with Maignan also suggests that a more experienced goalkeeper is a priority. Chelsea generally prefer to buy young players with room to grow, but that hasn’t yet worked out between the sticks and it looks as though a more experienced alternative could be the preference for that one position, at least.
As it stands, Chelsea are likely one of several teams keeping tabs on a patently talented goalkeeper who could well be regarded as one of the world’s best in a few years’ time with the right coaching – but it’s unlikely that he’s a major priority for Chelsea or, for that matter, Manchester United, unless Lammens falls flat as the season wears on. But wherever he ends up, don’t be surprised if Atubolu makes a big move before too long.
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