“Just put Camavinga in goal”, “Hate this club” - Real Madrid fans fume as they agree deal to sign Thibaut Courtois’ injury replacement
Real Madrid fans are less than impressed with the reports claiming goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to replace Thibaut Courtois following the latter's ACL injury.
Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg reports that Madrid are closing in on the signing of Kepa from Chelsea. The Spaniard was linked with a move to Bayern Munich but is reportedly set to reject the Bundesliga champions for the La Liga giants.
Real Madrid are set to lure the 28-year-old to the Santiago Bernabeu after Courtois suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training. The Belgian is expected to miss the majority, if not all, of the upcoming season.
Kepa's proposed signing may come as a surprise given his topsy-turvy form for Chelsea last season. He wasn't always the most dependable, keeping 12 clean sheets in 39 games across competitions.
Some Blues fans argue Kepa shouldn't be their No.1 heading into a new era under Mauricio Pochettino. They appear to have gotten their wish albeit surprisingly with one of Europe's heavyweights luring the Spanish shot-stopper to La Liga.
Real Madrid will be eager for Kepa to fill in seamlessly for Courtois who has been vital for them over the years. He was perhaps the best goalkeeper in Europe last season, keeping 17 clean sheets in 49 matches across competitions.
However, Los Blancos fans aren't too fond of the world's most expensive goalkeeper arriving at the Bernabeu. One fan tweeted:
"I hate this club."
Another fan joked he would rather see Eduardo Camavinga given a go in the net:
"Just put Camavinga in goal."
Here's how Twitter reacted to claims that Kepa is on his way to Carlo Ancelotti's side:
Thibaut Courtois reacts to his potential season-ending injury
Courtois is staying positive following his ACL injury that looks to have written him out of the 2023-24 campaign. The Belgian goalkeeper took to Instagram to thank fans for their well wishes:
"You never expect to go through something like this but now it's time to accept it and do everything to overcome it and come back even stronger. Thank you all for the energy, love and encouragement, I assure you it motivates me to recover as soon as possible."
The injury occurred during training with his Real Madrid teammates midweek. The Athletic report the best-case scenario for the 31-year-old is a return in April next year.
Courtois is set to undergo surgery and faces the lengthiest spell of his career on the sidelines. His absence will be felt, having been a mainstay in Los Blancos' side since arriving in 2018.