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The transfer of Thibaut Courtois to Madrid is finally done, after the player finally forced a move away from Stamford Bridge. The Belgian was presented as a Real Madrid player earlier today, having completed a medical this morning. The addition of Courtois from Chelsea has added a new dilemma for the head coach Julen Lopetegui.
Lopetegui already had many things to ponder, now including a headache when it comes to selecting his goalkeeper. Los Blancos currently have five goalkeepers, Keylor Navas, Courtois, Kiko Casilla, Andriy Lunin and Luca Zidane in their squad, but there is place for only three. Let's have a look at the best possibilities:
Navas, Courtois & Luca / Lunin: (Lunin / Luca on loan, Kiko to be sold)
This will be an interesting but highly probable situation at Madrid this season. Navas has guarded the net for Madrid for four years and won three Champions League titles. He knows the system and the players at the Madrid really well. On the other hand, Courtois is the future of Madrid. He just turned 26 and is stepping into his prime years. He won the Golden Glove award at the World Cup. He was a definite starter for Chelsea and he will be hoping to do the same for Real Madrid. There is a possibility of rotating Navas and Courtois, but either way, it will be a dilemma to choose a keeper between these two.
This move also means that Kiko Casilla will have to depart the club. He has been extremely professional and loyal to the club. He never complained about his limited minutes and supported Navas and the team with full heart. Also, the club has signed a future prospect in Andriy Lunin. He has already shown his potential in the International Champions Cup matches. To let him develop to his potential, he needs to play regularly, and loaning him out will be the best way to achieve that. Luca Zidane will be happy with the third choice keeper slot. He may get some game time in the Copa del Rey matches.
Courtois, Kiko & Luca / Lunin: (Navas to be sold, Lunin / Luca on loan)
Although Navas has clearly ruled out his departure, it is highly unlikely that Madrid will sell their current number one and make Courtois the undisputed starter. Selling Navas will surely improve finances, but the experience and the determination will be lost. Madrid can also register Lunin for their Castilla side, where he will play regularly and his performances can be assessed thoroughly. As Castilla have been relegated to Segunda División B, he will not face enough quality sides and thus impacting his progress.
Navas, Courtois & Kiko: (Lunin to be loaned, Luca to be sold)
If Madrid choose to send both Lunin and Luca out, there will be great goalkeeping quality on their bench. However, it will cost them some extra money as Kiko is very highly paid as compared to Luca and Lunin. Madrid shall not consider messing up with their wage structure.
Madrid may even consider selling both Kiko and Luca Zidane. It'll be interesting to see what Lopetegui opts for.
