A good shot-stopper is hard to find, they are not readily available. For the same reason, replacing a good GK is even harder. Generally GKs provide a long-term service to the team. Unlike other players, they hardly get injured. So a team has usually one good GK and some decent options as back-ups.  When the number one choice leaves, a huge void is created. We are very lucky that we have Cech as our No.1 in Chelsea for a long time, and undoubtedly he is one of the best in the world. But he will not remain forever, someday he has to go(retire, i mean). We all know that his successor will be Belgium international Courtois, who is now on loan at Atletico Madrid. And his turbulent performances in La Liga indicate that he is almost ready to compete with Cech for No.1 position. Those who wanna know how good really he is, just watch Copa Del Rey final(Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid) highlights. He made some incredible saves in this match, against one of the best teams in the world. Beside this, he kept 20 clean sheets in La Liga this season, which is second to none. So there is nothing to worry about, Cech’s gloves will be given to a reliable man. We just need a proper plan to keep him improving.
Many can argue that he is ready for the first team, but as long as we have Cech as our No.1, Courtois can’t be able to break into the first team. So he has to wait. Cech signed a contract extension of 4 years and it is believed that he will continue his career till 2016 Euro at least. So we may expect three or four more seasons from him. Courtois is too good to warm the bench, it also hampers his improvement. On the other hand Cech doesn’t deserve the bench role, he achieved a lot, gave us many moments of rejoice(I never forget his amazing performances in last season UCL, Specially two semifinals vs Barcelona & the final against Bayern) and he is one of the bests in this position(IMO second to Casillas). So here a problem arises where he will be? I think(my personal opinion, you can disagree) he should be joined in our squad at the last season of Cech, or the season before the last. In the meantime, loaning him to good teams who play highest level of competitive football(top European leagues & UCL or Europa) will certainly improve him. During the loan spell, he can play regular first team football, which we can’t offer him. As the FIFA World Cup is going to take place in the next year, regular first team football secures his place in the national team. He may spend another season or two at Atletico Madrid. Then he should join(on loan, of course) to a PL team. As the playing style of PL is different from La Liga, it takes some time to adapt to the PL. A loan spell in a PL team will make him better. In the meantime, Jamal Blackman and others will cover Cech.
After completing loan spells successfully, he will be more mature and confident. Then he should join with us. He can learn from Cech a lot and share first team opportunity with him. When Cech retires, he will be our No.1, and i’m sure he can succeed Cech perfectly. He will make an era of his own.
So what do you think about Courtois? Is he capable of succeeding Cech? Should we rely on him or buy someone? When should be he given first team opportunity? Feel free to share. KTBFFH.