1 hour ago, USATim said:

Love him. Our next huge goalkeeper. Won't factor in this cycle but will be the starter for us come next WC. Coming from MLS, he will need to work on his passing / footwork with the ball. Other than that, he is dynamic. Think he is definitely the most talented GK we have had at this young of an age come out of the US.

Think he will be better than Brad Friedel?

2 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Think he will be better than Brad Friedel?

Right now I'll take better than Stallone was in Escape to Victory!

5 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

No. Lives only 3 hours from me which is mad.

I like the difference in perspective here; on a twee little island like Great Britain something being three hours away is considered moderate-to-long distance.

Do we need to wait for him to go bald before we can trust him to be at the level of the other great American Premier League goalkeepers like Friedel, Howard, Keller, etc.?

Edited July 31, 20223 yr by PloKoon13

Wonderkid goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina is closing in on a move to Chelsea. The 18-year-old is flying to London to complete the £12m deal completing negotiations that have been on since March.
 

I wonder if this is why Kepa is going on loan?

Is he the reason we are sending Kepa to Italy? I like it, even I dont know much about the guy.😀 Now just waiting for the inevitable hijack by Barca, pretty sure Xavi needs a GK just for the fun of it.

We need players for the here and now....and we are f**king around by prioritising back up youth goalkeepers.

Only at Chelsea!

He is a great prospect for the long-term. He will be loaned back to Chicago until January. Then he will finish the season with the squad and then he will likely go out on loan for 2-3 years.  Chelsea have around 12 goalkeepers on the books.

11 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Our American fans, @USATim, @Valpo and the rest of you, what you think of this kid?

At quite a high level for his age but needs plenty of development.  Probably for the best to let him spend a little longer with the Fire on loan and maybe in a year or 2 loan him out to a Championship side.

He just turned 18 this year so he will likely spend a lot of years on loan before he is ready for first team.

1 hour ago, JM7 said:

Wonderkid goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina is closing in on a move to Chelsea. The 18-year-old is flying to London to complete the £12m deal completing negotiations that have been on since March.
 

I wonder if this is why Kepa is going on loan?

I doubt it, all reports are that Gabriel will go straight back to the Fire on loan.  I think Kepa is going on loan to get some of his wages off our books for a year.

 

23 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

We need players for the here and now....and we are f**king around by prioritising back up youth goalkeepers.

Only at Chelsea!

Doesn't mean we should neglect the future. 

1 hour ago, nonotnowjim said:

We need players for the here and now....and we are f**king around by prioritising back up youth goalkeepers.

Only at Chelsea!

We still have to look to the future.  Despite our need for first team players we can't not turn our nose up at the young talent coming through.  Weird comment.

38 minutes ago, Michael said:

We still have to look to the future.  Despite our need for first team players we can't not turn our nose up at the young talent coming through.  Weird comment.

I am not saying neglect the future. I am saying prioritise the present and urgent need for first team players. The season starts next week!

THE DARK EXISTENTIAL fear at Chelsea FC is goalkeepers. The Courtois/Kepa panic lives on. Losing Courtois that time. The panic buying of Kepa. That hurt.

Now we have goalkeepers.

In the USA Tour party : Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli, Teddy Sharman-Lowe

Development Squads : Eddie Beach, Sami Tlemcani

Out on Loan for 22/23: Lucas Bergstrom, Ethan Wady, Nathan Baxter, Jamie Cumming, Prince Adegoke

Slonina is the 12th keeper on our books !!!

 

12 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Think he will be better than Brad Friedel?

If he progresses - and Tim Howard too. Dude is a better athlete. Needs to work with the ball at his feet, like most young keepers.

8 hours ago, Valpo said:

I doubt it, all reports are that Gabriel will go straight back to the Fire on loan.  I think Kepa is going on loan to get some of his wages off our books for a year.

Sounds like he may join up with Chelsea in January, finishing the season with Chicago first.

 

I assume the fact Real Madrid were close to buying him this summer, coupled with the amount we are spending on him, we actually have big enough plans for him, and not just loan after loan for years.

2 hours ago, Oli said:

I assume the fact Real Madrid were close to buying him this summer, coupled with the amount we are spending on him, we actually have big enough plans for him, and not just loan after loan for years.

 

I don't know exactly when but going from MLS to Champion's league level football is a pretty big step up.  So I would doubt he would be ready to even be the 2nd choice keeper after coming to London in January.  

Plus if he's a player you are trying to develop you want to get him game time.  I can't see Tuchel selecting him over Mendy for any meaningful game any time soon.  

signed a 6 year deal

would send him on loan for 2 or 3 seasons and see if he can replace Mendy after that 

You cannot let him sit on the bench to play 10 games a season

Edited August 2, 20223 yr by azpi28

So will he be not given enough minutes and our US contingent will say he needs to move permanently in 2 years to get mote game time or will @HazardousChoice say he has played too much and is only here because of his nationality? Or both?

Interested to see where he goes in January. Championship? 

Would be a start. I think the MLS is equivalent to League One. 

Edited August 2, 20223 yr by Sconnie Blue

4 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Interested to see where he goes in January. Championship? 

Would be a start. I think the MLS is equivalent to League One. 

I think a Championship side that he will start for would be ideal.  He would probably require another year long loan after that as well.  

55 minutes ago, Valpo said:

I think a Championship side that he will start for would be ideal.  He would probably require another year long loan after that as well.  

Not good enough to replace Mendy now then?

@HazardousChoice probably thinks we have only brought him to make Pulisic feel more at home!

Tommy Tuchel Told Todd, (see what I did there people), we are desperate for a player who can get the ball in the net and now Todd is having talks with Steph Curry.