AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma celebrates. (Getty Images)
Chelsea are leading the race to sign AC Milan and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Blues are in the market to find a replacement of their possible outgoing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Signing the 19-year old Italian would be great for the club in the long-term.
Having taken the world by surprise by bursting onto the scene at the age of 17, Donnarumma is touted to replace legend Gianluigi Buffon in the national team. He is also one of the hottest properties in the transfer market. AC Milan wouldn’t mind selling a player to get some equality back, after their exit from European competitions due to Financial Fair Play rules.
Chelsea must incline towards signing the 19-year-old keeper with propensities at par with the world’s best.
Let us scout the player and conclude as to Chelsea should replace Courtois with this prodigy.
The first thing to note about the Italian is his impressive height (6ft 5 inches). This indicates the fact that he will be comfortable in set-pieces and crossing situations. He had a claim success rate of 92%, which is impeccable at best. Claiming a high ball is quite a skill in modern-day football and Donnarumma’s height and abilities help him do that with ease.
The 19-year-old also possesses the ability to frequently make fantastic saves. He has an average save per goal rate of 1.95. Last season, he maintained 12 clean sheets in 34 appearances in the league. In addition, his distribution rate isn’t bad either, with a delivery success rate of 78% for an average distance of 31m.
Amongst all the above facts, the Italian is an agile keeper and can easily dominate his box. He usually brings about an air of calmness around him, which massively helps the overall performance of the team.
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Chelsea could truly benefit by signing a keeper of Donnarumma’s class and stature. The teenager will not only improve the team defensively but he will also help the team perform at a higher level. At the age of 19, he has set high standards and moving to a club like Chelsea will only enhance his status in world football.
