€30m option would solve one major Chelsea problem – but create several more | OneFootball

A report from TeamTalk claims that Chelsea are interesting in Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

This summer will see us make a number of moves, and it seems that replacing our two current options in goal (both signed last summer) is on the list at some point. Atletico are “ready to sell” their 31 year old goalkeeper when the right offer comes along. Transfermarkt values him at €30m and it’s hard to see Chelsea

Not only is he expensive, he is also too old to fit in with our current strategy of buying younger players. It seems likely we make a couple of exceptions to that rule in terms of age, but we forsee us picking up a veteran on a free transfer or towards the end of their deal, rather than paying full price for a player beyond 30 like Oblak.

While the door certainly isn’t closed at the right price, we are struggling to see the value here. We need to cut costs somewhere, and buying a third goalkeeper in 12 months isn’t the way to do that.

A boat that was missed

A few years ago this was the sort of move that would have got Chelsea fans incredibly excited. For a good 3 or 4 year spell, Oblak was among the top 3 goalkeepers in the world.

But there’s been a long and steady decline in his play since then, and while he would still represent an upgrade on our current options, it’s not an upgrade big enough to justify the transfer fee and wages it would take to get the Slovenian in.

Current number one Djordje Petrovic can be upgraded upon, but he’s solid enough for now, and we can focus on other areas of the team fairly comfortably while trying to find the next Jan Oblak, not the last one.