Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane: Either Courtois or Navas could be sold
Zinedine Zidane has admitted that either Thibaut Courtois or Keylor Navas could be sold by Real Madrid this summer.
The two goalkeepers have been battling it out for a place in the Madrid first team this season follow Courtois’ arrival from Chelsea last summer.
Why is Courtois’ place under threat at Real Madrid? Five key things to know…
- Courtois was signed from Chelsea last summer after running his contract down to within a year of its expiration.
- The Belgian was expected to be Madrid’s new first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Keylor Navas.
- However, Courtois has struggled to win over everyone at the Bernabeu after a series of subpar performances.
- As a result, Navas has played more games than expected this term, making 19 appearances in all competitions
- Navas played a key role in Madrid’s three successive Champions League victories under Zidane.
Neither Courtois nor Navas has emerged as a guaranteed starter since Zidane’s return to the club.
And the Frenchman has suggested one of the goalkeepers may decide to leave the club in order to be a first-choice goalkeeper elsewhere.
“I would understand if a goalkeeper asked me to leave for the next season, it could happen,” Zidane said.
“I said recently that I had the best three, both are there and there is another young man who has a very good future.
“Keylor and Thibaut are very good, I must choose just one of course and that is a complicated thing for me when I have to choose what is better for the team.”
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Courtois vs Navas: the numbers
Courtois has made 24 La Liga appearances for Madrid this season, conceding 30 goals and keeping eight clean sheets, while Navas has conceded six goals and kept three clean sheets in eight league appearances.
Per 90 minutes, Courtois has conceded 1.25 goals and Navas has conceded 0.75 goals, making the Costa Rican the clear winner.
Courtois has been forced into action more often, making 2.38 saves per 90 minutes compared to Navas’ 1.62.
However, Navas has saved 65.4% of the shots he’s faced while Courtois has only managed a save percentage of 68.42%.
