Southampton are interested in signing Chelsea target and Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina
According to journalist Alan Nixon via Inside Futebol (h/t Hampshire Live), Southampton will battle Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers for the signing of Gabriel Slonina. It is believed that the Saints and Wolves are currently the frontrunners in this race due to the current sanctions imposed on the Blues.
The teenager has made an impressive start to his professional career. At 17, he became the youngest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in the MLS when he made his debut for Chicago Fire in August last year. Since then the American keeper has made 17 appearances, conceding 18 goals and bagging eight clean sheets in the process for the American club.
The American starlet shows great potential to become a world-beater one day. Snatching him up at this moment could be a great deal provided everything goes in his favour. Making it to the Premier League can be a big step up for any budding player but adapting to the conditions in England is much easier said than done.
Slonina to the Premier League
It looks highly likely that Gabriel Slonina will make way to the PL in the future. That being said, it will be interesting to see which club is successful in snatching him up. According to Fabrizio Romano on his youtube channel, Chelsea were set to sign the 17-year-old goalkeeper before being hit with sanctions by the UK government.
It is believed that the club had talks with the player’s agent as well as the MLS club before the imposed restrictions derailed their plans. It now seems that other PL clubs have overtaken us in the race to sign him but hopefully, things could become better after our new ownership is confirmed.
The Blues currently rely on Edouard Mendy as the first-choice keeper with Kepa Arrizabalaga playing second fiddle in the last couple of seasons. Though the Chicago Fire goalkeeper shows great potential, it is highly unlikely that he would go straight into the first-team setup.
The Stamford Bridge outfit would most probably have sent him out on loan to get some regular playing minutes under his belt. The 17-year-old could be a great long-term asset for the London-based club but the competition for his services seem to be rising with every passing week.
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That being said, the lure of playing under a top club like Chelsea could be a big temptation. Should our new owners arrive it would be interesting to see whether or not they follow up on his pursuit. The Blues could possibly have to add some more firepower in their backline as Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen will be free agents at the end of the season. A new deal to keep them both at Stamford Bridge looks difficult if not unlikely.
While the West Londoners have managed to purchase and produce some of the most exciting young talents in Europe, there is no reason why Slonina cannot massively develop his game at Chelsea. This would help us future-proof the goalkeeping position at Stamford Bridge, but the club should assess all the factors involved should they make a swoop for the American starlet.