As Chelsea head into the new season without an established goalkeeper, we take a look back at the last serious number one the Blues had between the sticks, Thibaut Courtois, and his unceremonious exit to Real Madrid in 2018.
A New Era of Goalkeeping
Chelsea originally signed Thibaut Courtois in the summer of 2011 for a reported fee of €9m, where he was immediately sent on loan to Atlético Madrid to continue his development. At the time, Chelsea had Petr Čech in net, one of the finest goalkeepers in Premier League history, so it was deemed this move was best for Courtois to continue his development with a view to taking the gloves at Stamford Bridge one day.
However, in hindsight, this might have been one of the first errors of Chelsea’s handling of Courtois. During his three seasons on loan at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, Courtois established himself as one of the finest young goalkeepers in Europe, and was earmarked for a bright and long career at Chelsea. But during those three years, Courtois developed a love and feeling of home in the city of Madrid, one it seems he never lost.
Back in London, with Čech not being the player he once was, Courtois was finally reintroduced to the Chelsea squad for the 2015-16 season, with Čech being demoted to second choice. On current goalkeeping ability, no one could begrudge this decision. The Belgian would go on to be Chelsea number one for the next four seasons, winning a League and Cup double in his debut season. Another highlight was winning the Golden Glove in the 2016-17 season, commanding an impressive 16 clean sheets, as Chelsea once again won the league under Antonio Conte.
Madrid Beckons Once More
The 2017-18 season proved to be Courtois’ last at Stamford Bridge, and rumours were prevalent all season that he wanted a return to Madrid, but for Atlético’s bitter rivals, Real Madrid. In the summer of 2018, Chelsea, now under the leadership of Maurizzio Sarri, were preparing for life with the Belgian in net once more.
A summer meeting was planned with Courtois and the Italian to plot for the season ahead. However, allegedly, Courtois failed to show up and also never reported to pre-season training, much to the surprise and alarm of the Stamford Bridge hierarchy. Courtois was said to be determined to force through a move to Madrid to be nearer to his then-partner and children and his agent – Christophe Henrotay – doing all he can to help the move along.
This left Chelsea in a precarious position – Courtois only had 12 months left on his contract – and to lose such a valuable asset for free would be both a commercial and sporting disaster for the Blues. With Courtois continuing to strike, relationships with the Chelsea fans were quickly deteriorating with the Belgian showing no signs of changing his mind. Chelsea eventually and reluctantly agreed to sell the 6 ft 7 goalkeeper to Real Madrid, for a reported fee of £35m – a considerable profit for the initial investment for Chelsea, but a strong sense of what could have been for the next decade, after his departure.
Courtois has always reaffirmed that his move was purely out of family reasons, but the striking and no showing to team meetings, on the eve of a season, never settled the resentment from the Stamford Bridge faithful.
The Fallout and Call to Kepa
Courtois’ move to Real was only allowed once Chelsea secured a replacement, and that came in the form of Kepa Arrizabalaga in a world record move for £72m. The number one jersey at Stamford Bridge has never been settled since, and questions remain of whether Chelsea could have handled Courtois’ departure in a better way.
On the one hand, negotiations over his new contact had been ongoing a while and showing no signs of resolve – perhaps they could have forced a more favourable contract for the Belgian. On the other hand, the damage may have already been done by Courtois’ initial three years in the Spanish capital, with his family settling in and showing no signs of wanting to move, maybe Chelsea should look back on the trophy-winning 4 years they got out of the Belgian with happiness. Since his move to Real, Courtois has continued to be one of the finest shot stoppers in the world, winning a host of trophies at the Bernabeu, whereas Chelsea’s hunt for a reliable number one goes on.
