The goalkeepers Mauricio Pochettino should sign for Chelsea
By Tom Gott
Mauricio Pochettino's move to Chelsea has finally been confirmed, with the Argentine set to take control at Stamford Bridge at the end of the current campaign.
Among the former Tottenham boss' top priorities for the summer transfer window is a new goalkeeper, with both Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy facing uncertain futures, and there are plenty of intriguing candidates out there.
Here's a look at some of the goalkeepers Pochettino could look to bring in.
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1. Andre Onana
In 2023, you don't find many goalkeepers quite like Andre Onana. Not only is he a sweeper keeper, but he could be the sweepiest of them all.
The Inter stopper has been utterly outrageous with the ball at his feet, happy to wander well away from his goal to help his team in their build-up, which is an incredibly valuable weapon to have.
90min understands Chelsea have already registered their interest in Onana, who could be sold this summer as Inter seek to raise funds.
2. Mike Maignan
In a dream world, Mike Maignan would be the man pulling on the Chelsea blue next season.
A bargain signing for AC Milan in 2021, Maignan has spent two years establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, ensuring Rossoneri fans forgot about Gianluigi Donnarumma remarkably quickly.
With three years left on his contract, it could be tricky to lure the 27-year-old away from San Siro, but Chelsea would be wise to try.
3. Alban Lafont
As Arsenal showed us with Aaron Ramsdale, watching a goalkeeper get relegated isn't as scary as it sounds. That's good news for somebody like Alban Lafont.
24-year-old Lafont is in the midst of a relegation battle in Ligue 1 with Nantes but few are blaming the stopper himself. No goalkeeper in the division has faced more shots than Lafont, whose save percentage (around 75%) puts him up among Europe's elite.
Undoubtedly available for a bargain fee, Lafont is inevitably going to be picked up by a mid-table team and turned into a £50m goalkeeper in one season. Why not skip the middle man and get ahead?
4. Emiliano Martinez
If Premier League experience is what Pochettino desires, the best option available may be Aston Villa's Emi Martinez.
The World Cup winner has been a crucial part of Villa's emergence this season and has been heralded as one of the top stoppers in England for a good few years now.
Chelsea are among the teams who can offer Martinez the global stage on which he wishes to play regularly (albeit not this season), and snapping him up would be a smart move.
5. Gabriel Slonina
It's worth mentioning that Chelsea have one of the game's most highly rated young goalkeepers on their books already.
Gabriel Slonina, the 19-year-old who joined from the Chicago Fire in January, has been playing below his level in the Premier League 2 for the past six months and will definitely be playing senior football again next year.
Despite his 43 senior appearances in Major League Soccer, promoting Slonina to the Chelsea first team is an obvious risk, but it could prove to be a masterstroke.