Chelsea probably need a new goalkeeper.
They have struggled defensively throughout this season as they attempt to qualify for the Champions League under Frank Lampard, conceding 49 goals in 36 games played.
That is a higher number than every other team in the top 10, including Burnley, and has somewhat hamstrung their efforts to finish in the top four.
They do sit third, but they have a goal difference of positive 15, compared to positive 28 for both Leicester City and Manchester United, positive 48 for Liverpool and positive 62 for Manchester City.
Should they lose to Liverpool on Wednesday, they will need to beat Wolves on the final day to be sure of a top four finish.
Their problems can be traced back to their goalkeeper, then, with Kepa Arrizabalaga making 32 total appearances in the Premier League.
In those appearances, he has kept just eight clean sheets, and has shipped 42 goals.
It is not a surprise to learn, then, that Lampard’s men are keen to bring in a replacement for the Spaniard, who became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when he moved to Stamford Bridge for a fee in excess of £71 million.
The Manchester Evening News reports that one possible target is Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
The Blues have identified the stopper, who has spent the season on loan at Sheffield United, as a possible replacement for Kepa in the summer transfer window.
The report states that contact has been initiated between Chelsea and Henderson’s representatives in order to gauge the goalkeeper’s interest in a move to west London.
Henderson is said to earn £70,000-per-week at Old Trafford but Chelsea are ready to more than double that with an offer of £170,000-per-week.
The loanee will return to United next week but he is said to be keen to play as their No.1, ahead of David de Gea, and it remains to be seen if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be willing to throw him into the deep end from the start of next season.
Henderson has impressed at Bramall Lane, keeping 13 clean sheets – only behind Ederson of Manchester City and Burnley’s Nick Pope – and was called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad in November, though he didn’t play in Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
Henderson has a very clear decision to make here, and he holds a great deal of bargaining power.
He can easily use the interest from Chelsea to potentially leverage himself a better position at United; there is the possibility of politicking his way to the No.1 spot.
Or he could simply make the move.
Chelsea are likely to be playing Champions League football next season – United aren’t certain they will be yet – and he would link up with a young, ambitious squad under Lampard’s tutelage.
If he makes the move, and he becomes their first-choice ‘keeper, he has taken the best of all worlds; his salary has increased dramatically and he is also guaranteed regular game time at the top end of the league.
The ball is now in United’s court; if they will play him, he may stay, but if they won’t, he has every right to leave.