I agree with a lot of this, but Ben Davies did just sign a new 5 year deal in the summer. I think he’s going to survive the exodus and ideally be Sessegnon’s backup for a couple of seasons. Seems like a good player to have around imo.
I think a new GK is going to be accelerated now. Maybe we don’t touch it in January (with rumors that we are trying to sign Vorm on a free, I think that’s a safe assumption), but it might be vital to get a new one for next year and move Lloris on. I don’t think Gazzaniga is good enough to be anything more than a backup/injury replacement. Plenty of talented young goalies out there, wonder who we chase.
An interesting list I've just found online:
Everybody Soccer returns with the annual list of top goalkeepers in the world. This year features 50 of the current top goalkeepers as well as another 50 goalkeepers under the age of 24. While some goalkeepers are likely to be sent out on loan (Sergio Rico and Kevin Trapp for example), the parent cl
www.everybodysoccer.com
Top 50 Goalkeepers Under 24
1. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy (AC Milan) - 20
2. Ionut Radu, Romania (Inter, ITA) - 22
3. Okan Kocuk, Turkey (Bursaspor) - 23
4. Michael Verrips, Netherlands (KV Mechelen, BEL) - 22
5. Felipe Lopez, Mexico (Leones Negros) - 23
6. Alex Meret, Italy (Napoli) - 22
7. Rubén Blanco, Spain (Celta de Vigo) - 23
8. Roberto Ramirez, Argentina (Godoy Cruz) - 22
9. Simone Scuffet, Italy (Udinese Calcio) - 23
10. Daniel Mesenhöler, Germany (MSV Duisburg) - 23
One to Watch: Ionut Radu. Italy has a pair of young, exciting goalkeepers at two of its more prominent clubs. Radu, who recently sent shockwaves throughout the soccer community for his
heartfelt tribute to his sister, is in contention to put Romania into the 2020 Olympics with the U23 side. Woolwich reportedly has interest in the young goalkeeper but he’s also
been public about returning to Genoa as a positive situation. If it’s not Woolwich, Radu will have his pick of the lot sooner than later.
11. Toma Niga, Romania (FCSB) - 21
12. André Onana, Cameroon (Ajax, NET) - 23
13. Adrian Semper, Croatia (Dinamo Zagreb) - 21
14. Luca Zidane, France (Real Madrid, SPA) - 21
15. Tiepo, Brazil (Chapecoense) - 21
16. Denis Scherbitski, Belarus (BATE Borisov) - 23
17. Dragan Rosic, Serbia (Mladost) - 22
18. Arijanet Muric, Kosovo (Manchester City, ENG) - 20
19. Boris Radunović, Serbia (Atalanta, ITA) - 23
20. Emil Audero, Italy (Sampdoria) - 22
One to Watch: Arijanet Muric. American fans might be familiar with Zack Steffen’s move to Manchester City but it’s Muric’s rise to power that viewers should watch closely. At 20 years young, Muric has already been capped five times by Kosovo, proving how goalkeepers can come from even the 121st ranked nations. A shocking 4-0-2 run by Kosovo, paired with a
+29 jump in Elo rankings, promoted them to League C in the UEFA Nations League and could be a sign of more things to come.
21. Alexander Nübel, Germany (FC Schalke 04) - 22
22. Ugurcan Caki, Turkey (Trabzonspor) - 23
23. Joe Wildsmith, England (Sheffield Wednesday) - 23
24. Mike Maignan, France (Lille) - 23
25. Angus Gunn, England (Southampton) - 23
26. Andrea Zaccagno, Italy (Torino) - 22
27. Alban Lafont, France (Fiorentina, ITA) - 20
28. Álex Dos Santos, Brazil (Atlético Madrid, SPA) - 20
29. Andriy Lunin, Ukraine (Real Madrid, SPA) - 20
30. Gregor Kobel, Switzerland (Hoffenheim, GER) - 21
One to Watch: Andriy Lunin. Lunin managed to earn five starts for CD Leganés last season (where he was loaned from Real Madrid) but his biggest achievement came this summer, where he led Ukraine in goal during their championship run in the U20 World Cup. Lunin was given the Golden Glove in the U20 tournament after conceding just four goals in seven games. After originally being slated to go back out on loan to Leganés,
Goal.com says Lunin is a likely candidate for the number two with Real Madrid. Fans may not get to watch much of Lunin during league play yet again but he’ll surely get his chance to prove his merit in various cup matches throughout the season.
31. Per Kristian Bratveit, Norway (Djurgarden, SWE) - 23
32. Nordin Jackers, Belgium (Genk) - 21
33. David Raya, Spain (Blackburn Rovers, ENG) - 23
34. Josip Posavec, Croatia (Hajduk Split) - 23
35. José Aurelio Suárez, Spain (Girona) - 23
36. Phillip Menzel, Germany (Wolfsburg) - 20
37. Anton Mitryushkin, Russia (Sion, SWI) - 23
38. Alexander Schlager, Austria (LASK) - 23
39. Sondre Rossbach, Norway (Odds) - 23
40. Mile Svilar, Belgium (Benfica, POR) - 19
One to Watch: Phillip Menzel. Wolfsburg’s reserve team just missed promotion with a tightly contested battle with Bayern Munich’s second team. Menzel’s tenure in the fourth division was still largely successful, compiling a 24-4-2 record throughout the season. Wolfsburg may look to send him back with the reserve side or, as
Sportbuzzer reports, a loan to a third division side could be a natural progression for the German U20 goalkeeper. For those unfamiliar with Menzel’s game, think Lukasz Fabianski. It can be a little clunky at times, but the U20 German goalkeeper has an uncanny nose for the ball and a Michael Jordan hangtime-esque extension save. While first-team chances are close to zero for the time being, it’s more of a “not if but when” situation with Menzel.
41. Altay Bayindir, Turkey (Ankaragücü) - 21
42. Sebastian Jurado, Mexico (Tiburones Rojos) - 21
43. Justin Bijlow, Netherlands (Feyenoord) - 21
44. Antonio Sivera, Spain (Alavés) - 22
45. Nils Körber, Germany (Osnabruck) - 22
46. Rok Vodisek, Slovenia (Genoa, ITA) - 20
47. Pontus Dahlberg, Sweden (Watford, ENG) - 20
48. Javier Belman, Spain (Real Madrid) - 20
49. Dominik Kotarski, Croatia (Ajax, Netherlands) - 19
50. Michele Di Gregorio, Italy (Inter) - 21
One to Watch: Pontus Dahlberg. For Watford fans, Dahlberg has been a non-factor since joining the club 18 months ago and has probably been forgotten by some of the supporters. However Dahlberg picked up his first cap with the Swedish national team in January and followed up the 1-1 tie to Estonia by
just barely missing the cutoff for the European Under-21 Championship. Dahlberg, who has been sitting for some time with Watford, seems prime to be
loaned out and begin being groomed for the starting position for the Hornets.