Gabriel Slonina is not a young man who lacks self-belief. It's why he was able to establish himself as Chicago Fire's first-choice goalkeeper at just 17 years old; why he hasn't played down comparisons with Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon; why Chelsea are hopeful of signing the American this summer.
Real Madrid have also shown an interest in bringing Slonina to Europe. Bayern Munich and Wolverhampton Wanderers too. Yet it's Chelsea, under American ownership as of a fortnight ago, that are leading the race for the young goalkeeper, who does not celebrate his 19th birthday until next year.
Slonina isn't set to join the Chelsea first-team squad this summer should he complete a switch, however. The expectation is he remains with Chicago on loan for the remainder of the 2022 campaign. After that, a decision will require as to what his next step will be.
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Chelsea have, of course, been down this road before with a young, talented goalkeeper. In the summer of 2011, the Blues completed the signing of Thibaut Courtois from Genk for £7.9million and then loaned him out to Atletico Madrid for three seasons to gain vital top-level experience.
The Belgian blossomed into one of Europe's finest goalkeepers in the Spanish capital, returned to Chelsea in the summer of 2014, displaced club legend Petr Cech, and went on to win the Premier League title in his first season. Further trophies followed before he departed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 in a rather acrimonious fashion.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Slonina is still very much in the formative years of his senior career; there is a long road ahead of the teenager. And to get greater insight into the American stopper's career to date and what may come next, we put a few questions to MLS expert Tom Bogert. Here's what he had to say.
Has the amount of interest in Slonina surprised you and do you feel he’s ready to such a big step?
"It would be silly of me to sit here and be like, ’nah, I’m not surprised some of the world’s biggest clubs are trying to sign an 18-year-old Chicago Fire goalkeeper.’ That’s ludicrous. But I’ve heard from sources for a while that this kid had a chance.
"MLS roster rules are weird – you can only have 30 players rostered – but Chicago signed him to a professional contract when he was 14. They used one of their roster spots on a 14-year-old goalkeeper. That’s how special the kid is. So I’m not surprised he had the potential to do what he’s doing and is regarded as he is.
"No, he’s not ready to start for Chelsea or Real Madrid tomorrow. He has been in a bad run of form for four-to-six weeks because he just turned 18 and these things happen. But that can’t happen at one of those clubs. He certainly needs more development, but there are few goalkeepers in the world who earned a starting spot in a top domestic division when he was 17."
What would you say are his biggest strengths and weaknesses?
"Strengths are shot-stopping and reflexes. Weakness is aerial command on crosses and completely eliminating mistakes. Again, those things come with time, they are nothing that would halt his career."
Is staying on loan at Chicago for the rest of the season, as has been mooted, the right call and could he use it as a springboard into the Chelsea first-team set-up or a European loan in 2023?
"When Chelsea were originally talking to Chicago about signing Slonina in January, the talks were about a two-year loan back to Chicago. I was in favor of that. I think him staying at Chicago until at least January is non-negotiable, both in terms of Chicago’s position and the best thing for Slonina’s development. This is the best experience for him right now.
"He’ll almost certainly need another loan come January regardless. Just depends on where that’s best served, whether the Championship, another European league, or back to Chicago for another six months."
What would Slonina’s sale mean to MLS given his age and the clubs interested?
"It means a lot, for sure, but it’s the increased reputation and respect that players over the last five seasons have helped create. Whether it was Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie going straight to Europe after youth soccer, or the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Alphonso Davies, and others getting their start in MLS before moving to Europe. It’s just another example of development in this country and how far it’s come.
"That’s not a perfect answer, and I certainly don’t mean to belie Slonina’s personal story here — it’s Chelsea and Real Madrid, for after all! — but this is the direct result of greater practices, investment and infrastructure in youth development in the United States. That’s what means the most for me in regards to the league."
