Real Madrid have faced a major setback as Thibaut Courtois, a key player and linchpin of the previous season, has sustained an injury during Thursday's training session at Valdebebas, just two days before the 1st official game of La Liga for the new season. The unfortunate incident occurred as Courtois took a fall during the morning drills, resulting in his being stretchered off the field. His injury has been confirmed to affect his left knee's anterior cruciate ligament. The Belgian goalkeeper left the training ground in tears, fully aware of the gravity of the situation.
This injury has significantly disrupted Real Madrid's plans, striking just a day before the new LaLiga Santander season kicks off. Following a series of medical examinations conducted by the club, the prognosis has been validated, causing concerns among Real Madrid supporters. Courtois has been diagnosed with a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, needing surgical intervention in the upcoming days.
An official statement from Real Madrid announced: Following tests carried out on Thibaut Courtois, the player has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The player will undergo surgery in the coming days.
This type of injury typically involves a lengthy recovery period, usually spanning between seven and eight months, especially given Courtois' position as a goalkeeper. As a result, Real Madrid faced the situation and decided to enter the transfer market and not place their trust in Andriy Lunin for the remainder of the season. It's worth noting that Lunin had an altercation with goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis during the team's tour of the United States. The coaching staff's reservations are no secret, and any potential signing will be treated with the utmost gravity it warrants.
Among the potential alternatives in the transfer market, the spotlight is currently focused on two Spanish goalkeepers, Kepa Arrizabalaga and David De Gea and also the Moroccan Bono and a few other less likely options like Meslier of Leeds, Mamardashvili of Valencia, Diogo Costa of Porto and a shock return of Keylor Navas. Courtois is widely regarded as one of the finest players in his position globally, making his absence a challenging void for any goalkeeper to fill. The Belgian has played a pivotal role for Los Blancos over recent seasons, serving as a cornerstone upon which winning teams were built.
The 31-year-old goalkeeper, who had previously been fortunate to avoid serious injuries throughout his career, contributed to 43 matches in Spain, Champions League, and Copa del Rey, solidifying his role as a linchpin in Real Madrid's pursuit of European glory. With Courtois sidelined, the goalkeeping responsibilities now fall to Lunin, whose development has shown signs of stagnation, and his confidence doesn't appear to match that of previous seasons. Opting to secure a new goalkeeper signing seems the most reasonable course of action, but the decision hinges on the actual options available within the transfer market.
Meanwhile, the Belgian giant has all of the support from the club, his teammates, colleagues and the fans and has patiently started working for his return in no time. After the unfortunate event he posted on his social media, writing: “You never expect to go through something like this but now it's time to accept it and do everything to overcome it and come back even stronger. Thank you all for the energy, love and encouragement, I assure you it motivates me to recover as soon as possible”.
Possible substitutes, the most popular options
David de Gea opporunity
The Spaniard has been made a free agent after he was released by Manchester United earlier this summer when his contract expired. It ended 12 years at Old Trafford where he made 545 appearances for the Red Devils. It had Real scrambling for a replacement with days to go before the new LaLiga campaign begins but it now appears that De Gea can easily join Los Blancos, eight years after an initial transfer failed. In 2015, Real Madrid and United had agreed on a transfer for the goalkeeper. However, in controversial circumstances, a faulty fax machine meant that the necessary forms did not arrive on time. And with the deadline creeping over midnight, it meant that the transfer fell through.
He is available as a free agent right now while Real Madrid are in search of a goalkeeper after Thibaut’s injury. Unsurprisingly, Real Madrid have been linked with a move for De Gea. But once again, it looks like a switch to Santiago Bernabeu might not be on the cards for the Spaniard. As reported by Miguel Angel Diaz in El Partidazo de COPE (via Cope), De Gea does not convince Ancelotti. And he would be the one who would veto the option of signing him even if it was free.
De Gea is without a doubt one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, but the game has changed a lot over the past decade or so. Now, goalkeepers are expected to be great with the ball at their feet as well. That is an aspect, where De Gea has never really excelled. It was ultimately a key reason why he was always on borrowed time at Manchester United over the past few years.
An underrated keeper, Bono
The option of Bono is the one that Real Madrid likes the most. The Moroccan has had a meteoric career since leaving Girona and joining Sevilla. His performance at the World Cup in Qatar was unforgettable and the raffle to sell him started some time ago because Sevilla is in need of making some cash in. Even why Sevilla goalkeeper was the best placed to replace Courtois, some problems arose.
Despite the Moroccan goalkeeper's desire, Real Madrid had an important disadvantage in the market: that of having to make a significant outlay. Sevilla will not give the player away and could ask for up to 30 million euros. In no case would they accept a loan unless there was a guaranteed purchase next season. Then, the fact of losing Bono for a considerable amount of time for the Africa Cup of Nations cooled the interest in the capital even more. The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Ivory Coast from 11 January to 13 February 2024. This tournament would leave Real Madrid without a first-choice goalkeeper for almost a month, albeit at a time of the season without European matches.
The more likely option, Kepa
Kepa is negotiating his arrival at Bayern Munich after some irregular years at Chelsea and in the Spanish national team where both goalkeepers have not convinced either Luis Enrique or Luis de la Fuente. Zidane was the coach who vetoed Kepa's arrival in the 2018 winter transfer window because he did not want to destabilise the squad that would end up reigning for several years in Europe.
However, several deals that seemed well underway or practically closed were halted, pending the decisions that Real Madrid had to make to replace their goalkeeper. One of them was Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Chelsea goalkeeper whose loan deal with Bayern Munich was practically closed at the time. Because Kepa has stopped his move to the Bavarian team and at this time is heading towards a loan without a mandatory purchase clause, but to Real Madrid. Now, he's more likely to return to Spain than to go to Germany.
At Real Madrid, since Thursday, the movements have been constant and there was a first contact with Kepa that same afternoon. These approaches first made the goalkeeper hesitate and then put the brakes on his move to Bayern. Kepa's departure from Chelsea has to do with the arrival of Robert Sanchez and the club's intention to give prominence to the new signing from Brighton ahead of the Basque goalkeeper. Thomas Tuchel had called Kepa to convince him, but Courtois' injury changed the plans.
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