Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has stalled talks over a new contract with the club amid fears he might force his way out of Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho was quoted by Sky Sports this week as rather worryingly stating he was ‘not confident’ De Gea would sign a new contract at the club, which follows the Telegraph claiming he was reluctant to pen an extension to his current deal.
The 27-year-old shot-stopper is widely considered to be the best ‘keeper in English football and has been United’s undoubted talisman during the lean post-Sir Alex Ferguson years.
De Gea’s superhuman reflexes and agility has bailed out the Red Devils on countless occasions, as the team has struggled to challenge for major trophies over the past five years under the stewardship of David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and now Jose Mourinho.
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At the start of the 2018-19 campaign, it has been a similar story, as Mourinho’s men have slumped to a mid-table position after nine matches, conceding 16 goals in the process.
The Spanish number one has been a standout performer once again, albeit not quite as evergreen as in previous years, with a few mistakes setting into his game which suggests that he has become tired of shouldering so much responsibility with so little reward for his efforts.
To put it bluntly, at the moment United do not look remotely capable of challenging for silverware this season, regardless of how De Gea performs in the net and for as long as Mourinho remains in charge, that situation doesn’t look likely to change any time soon.
The Red Devils ace is a fantastic player who deserves a lot more, having only managed to pick up one Premier League title and Europa League, League Cup and FA Cup winners medals during his seven-year stay at Old Trafford.
There is absolutely no doubt that in a better team, De Gea would have a trophy cabinet full of major honours and with each passing year, the temptation for him to move on in pursuit of that kind of success is getting all the more irresistible.
“What matters is the team and all of us being focused on what we need to focus on, which is winning games, rather than contracts or any topics that can be a distraction. ” The Spanish star told Sky Sports on Saturday, which should tell you all you need to know about his state of mind.
It is high time that United start preparing for a possible future without De Gea and Caught Offside has drawn up five candidates capable of filling the void if he ends up walking away from Manchester.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona)
First on the list is Barca’s number one Ter Stegen, whose rise to prominence for the Blaugrana has been meteoric in the four years since he left Borussia Monchengladbach.
The German ‘keeper is an all-action, aggressive customer between the sticks, with fantastic positional sense and leadership qualities which have helped to improve Barca defensively in recent times, providing the foundation for their double-winning success last season.
At 26 years of age, he will only improve and having already experienced football at the highest level a move to Old Trafford would not faze him one iota – if ever there was the possibility that Barcelona would consider selling him, that is.
Camp Nou boss Ernesto Valverde has Jasper Cillessen and Jokin Ezkeita on his books as understudies to Ter Stegen, but neither man is in the same class, meaning Barca would need to have a sure-fire replacement lined up in order to let him go.
United could, therefore, consider a swap deal for De Gea, who might fancy a return to his homeland with a team who will compete for trophies season in season out and Mourinho would surely be happy to get a player of Ter Stegen’s calibre in return.
Jordan Pickford (Everton)
The first Premier League goalkeeper on the list, Pickford has become one of the best in England during his time at Goodison Park and earned himself number one status with the Three Lions at International level in the process.
The 24-year-old was absolutely sensational during England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals this summer, fully justifying manager Gareth Southgate’s faith in him with his mature, commanding displays as the last line of defence, which has he has carried on at club level at the start of the new season.
Everton spent big during the transfer window and new boss Marco Silva is targeting a place in Europe, with Pickford very much a vital part of his plans going forward.
However, it seems like only a matter of time before the Toffees number one moves on to a greater challenge and if De Gea does end up leaving United, he could be the perfect man to fill his boots.
Pickford has the experience and attributes to be successful at the Theatre of Dreams and crucially, he is already well acquainted with several members of Mourinho’s squad from his time with the national team, which could see him settle in quickly.
Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)
According to AS, Atletico are planning to increase the realise clause in Oblak’s current deal at the club to an astonishing €200million, in response to the inflated market prices for goalkeepers that Liverpool and Chelsea introduced when buying Alisson and Kepa over the summer.
Paying that amount of money for a number one is unthinkable, or at least, that’s what Atletico officials are hoping, but if De Gea decides to leave Old Trafford United might be faced with a huge decision to make.
One astounding statistic that might convince United to fork out for the Slovenian is his record for Diego Simeone’s men during his last 125 appearances. During that time, Ter Stegen has won more clean sheets (73) than he has conceded goals (72), which is a remarkable feat that underlines his incredible abilities between the sticks.
De Gea is undoubtedly one of the best in the business, but Oblak has a genuine claim to be THE best at the moment and his presence at the back for Atletico solidifies their defensive line as the most intimidating and effective in Europe.
This particular deal might seem like a long shot now, but Mourinho’s hand might be forced in the new year and Atletico would surely be willing to listen to any offers that can smash the current transfer record for a goalkeeper, which stands at £71 million – as per BBC Sport.
Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)
Looking back on Leicester City’s remarkable Premier League title triumph in 2016, several stars took the plaudits, including N’Golo Kante, Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.
However, Schmeichel was arguably even more important to the team’s success than any of those players, with his heroics in goal which saved points for the Foxes on a consistent basis over the 38-game season and ensured that their defence was one of the meanest in the league.
The Danish ‘keeper is the son of United legend Peter Schmeichel of course, who enjoyed an illustrious, trophy-laden career with the Red Devils between 1991-199 and the prospect of his heir joining the club in the future is certainly one for romantics.
That being said, the 31-year-old hasn’t been quite as impressive for Leicester since that title win and while others moved on he remains one of the only players left in the current squad from that famous team of two years ago.
Mourinho could still fancy him as a cheaper option though and his experience of English football is second to none, so don’t be surprised if the Theatre of Dreams is singing Schmeichel’s name once again in 2019.
Keylor Navas (Real Madrid)
Last on the list is Madrid number two Navas, who was usurped by Thibaut Courtois during the last transfer window after four years as the club’s first choice goalkeeper.
During that time, the Costa Rican won three consecutive Champions League titles and produced several amazing moments in goal, despite the fact that De Gea was being lined up to replace him in the background almost the entire time.
A faulty fax machine put pay to that particular transfer, but the arrival of Courtois has proven to be every bit as irritating and he could now be looking for a way out of the Santiago Bernabeu in search of regular football again.
It seems highly unlikely that De Gea will end up in Madrid now, but a huge twist to the story would be if Navas opted to move to Manchester when he does leave, after years of being touted as nothing more than a potential understudy to the Spaniard.
Every player that has ever worked with Navas has only been beaming in their praise of the 31-year-old and there is no doubt he has the ability to be successful at Old Trafford, where he could finally be the star man and get the credit he deserves.