Forget Pickford! Chelsea should sign goalkeeping prodigy for immediate upgrade

Robin Bairner

• 2 May 2024 10:45 BST
• 4 min read

Chelsea are rumoured to be interested in landing a transfer for Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the summer, but there is both a cheaper and better alternative who could immediately elevate the Stamford Bridge club.

Pickford could be sold by the Toffees in the summer due to the financial problems engulfing the Liverpool club and he has been linked with the Blues.

The 30-year-old has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €34.2 million, but with the Blues facing economic constraints of their own as they go into the transfer market, there are smarter places for them to spend their money.

Step forward Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, a 22-year-old with enormous potential.

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Current ETV

Lucas Chevalier

GK

Lille

Lucas Chevalier

GK

Lille

€30.6M

ETV Range

€22.9M - €38.2M

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Chevalier has world-leading potential

How good is the young Frenchman? According to data analytics experts SciSports, he has the potential to become the best goalkeeper in the world.

Using the firm’s SciSkill rating, which is calculated using hundreds of in-game data points, Chevalier has a potential of 131.6.

There are only three goalkeepers in the game who currently have a rating over 115: David Raya, Ederson and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

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Lucas Chevalier ~ 23/24 so far

The future of French national team 🌟🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/Wf2G3zcvrn

— 🥷🏻 (@_Flosc) April 1, 2024

Jordan Pickford, meanwhile, has both a current ability and potential of 100.6.

SciSports currently rates Chevalier at 109.9 – a significant step above the Everton keeper.

Let’s put this figure in a Chelsea context.

In terms of goalkeepers, Chevalier would easily be top of the Stamford Bridge pecking order. Robert Sanchez stands on 94.3 and Djordje Petrovic, who has been the preferred option lately, lies on 75.2 but has enjoyed “significant improvement” over the last six months. Nonetheless, the Serbian is not in the same class.

In an overall context, the data experts believe Chevalier would become Chelsea’s third strongest player immediately when stepping into the club: only Raheem Sterling, whose form has collapsed lately, and Christopher Nkunku, who has barely played this season due to injury, have a higher SciSkill score.

There’s a potential spin-off benefit of Chevalier arriving, too.

Having a Frenchman behind centre-backs Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile could have a settling effect on the pair.

But beyond this, Chevalier is the goalkeeper of the future of Chelsea would be foolish to risk missing out on such a talent by signing Pickford instead.