The three best long-term successors for Thibaut Courtois at Real Madrid
Over the last few years we've seen almost all of the veteran Real Madrid players depart for the next step of their career. Real have lost players like Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Karim Benzema, Marcelo, and Sergio Ramos, leaving only one true veteran in the team, Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgian arrived in the summer of 2018 and has been a cornerstone piece in all of Real Madrid's success during his time at the club, however at 34-years-old, Courtois isn't getting any younger and with injuries starting to become more worrying, it would be smart for Real Madrid to start thinking about what life after Courtois will look like at the Bernabeu in a few years time.
Slowly but surely, father time will catchup to Thibaut Courtois
34-years-old is still somewhat "young" when it comes to goalkeepers but Real Madrid would be smart to keep their eyes on the market so they don't miss out and mess up their future for years to come. There are number of solid options on the market Real Madrid could bring in, let's take a look at three of the strongest options to keep Real in safe hands, once Courtois' time is unfortunately up.
1. Diogo Costa, FC Porto
First we have Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, would is no doubt the best option as Courtois' long-term successor. Costa has made 249 appearances as Porto's starting keeper, keeping 111 clean sheets as well as 48 appearances as Portugal's starting goalkeeper. Costa is still only 26-years-old and is good not only with the ball at his feet, which is becoming incredibly important in the modern game, he is also a top class shot stopper like Courtois and at a value of only around €40 million, would be a steal of a signing to secure Real Madrid's future for more than a decade to come.
2. Bart Verbruggen, Brighton
Next we have the starting goalkeeper for the Netherlands and Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion Bart Verbruggen. The Dutchman has solidified himself as the most underrated goalkeeper in the Premier League and at just 23-years-old, has an incredibly high ceiling and seems destined for a move to a bigger club in the near future. Verbruggen has kept 25 clean sheets in 105 matches for Brighton, which is quite solid considering the difficulty of the Premier League when playing for a smaller side. The Dutchman is a strong shot stopper, capable of making saves from anywhere in front of his goal. He also carries a value of around €40 million, but is not as refined as Diogo Costa in some aspects, but would still make a strong option as Courtois' successor.
3. Jonas Urbig, Bayern Munich
And finally we have Jonas Urbig of Bayern Munich, the most unlikely of the three options, but still an incredibly strong option. Urbig is also still just 23-years-old and has all the makings of being one of the top keepers of this new young generation. He can make jaw dropping saves and is strong with the ball at his feet and isn't afraid to come out of his box and play the sweeper keeper role. Urbig is on course to be Manuel Neuer's long-term successor at Bayern Munich so he doesn't look to be going anywhere anytime soon, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be a strong option at Real Madrid.
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