Scouting the Top Four Options to Replace Keylor Navas at Real Madrid

David de Gea

The most likely scenario is that Real Madrid will go after Manchester United’s keeper David de Gea. De Gea, called the “future” of the Spanish National team by Cesc Fabregas, is likely to appeal to the Madrid board and the Madrid faithful, who have long valued the presence of Spanish players in Madrid’s squad.

Perez has been said to have been after the signature of the Spanish keeper for a number of years, and having been somewhat embarrassed by the failure to sign De Gea before the implementation of the transfer ban, Perez might be committed to landing De Gea this summer.

Strengths:

De Gea checks off a number of boxes for Real Madrid. First, he is Spanish, something that will endear him to the Bernabéu. Second, he is widely recognized as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, bringing with him the name recognition that often comes with Madrid’s pursuit of Galacticos.

Finally, there are his on the pitch contributions. He is an excellent shot-stopper, with cat-like reflexes. Over the course of his time at Manchester United, he has made a number of excellent, and extremely difficult saves. As Seb Stafford-Bloor of FourFourTwo writes, “From the moment he was elevated into professional football, de Gea has regularly demonstrated his staggering agility and freakish reach.”

Much like his compatriot Iker Casillas, de Gea is known for being an unconventional keeper who is as likely to stop with his feet as he is with his hands. This propensity to come up with clutch, if not necessarily aesthetically pleasing, stops makes de Gea a likely candidate to ultimately inherit the spot once held down by Casillas for nearly a decade.

Bailing out a leaky defense by making last-ditch stops against shots that no keeper on earth could be blamed for letting in would make him especially suited for Real Madrid. Such a keeper could come in handy to cover for full backs who bomb forward at the expense of their defensive duties and center backs like Sergio Ramos, prone – nay, obliged – to make at least a few stupid mistakes a season to balance out his utter brilliance.

Still not convinced? Check out this video of his best stops:

Weaknesses:

When he first came to Manchester United, de Gea was criticized for his lack of fitness and his general inability to successfully defend against crosses. His somewhat lanky frame can make him seem like a less-than imposing presence in the box.

If Madrid are looking for a commanding keeper with a strong aerial presence capable of dominating the box and punching away whatever cross comes at them, de Gea may not be the best option.

However, de Gea has done much to improve these aspects of his game. After being criticized for showing up out-of-shape to Manchester United and being too weak to deal with the physicality of the Premier League, de Gea hit the gym, building up his mass and body-strength, something that has paid dividends to his skills as a keeper.

In addition to his physical improvements, de Gea has also worked on his ball-claiming skills, as discussed in detail in a great article by Bill Reno. Reno argues that while de Gea still is not the best at claiming crosses, he has become much more intelligent about deciding which balls to go after, tasking his defenders with claiming balls that he cannot catch, and catching balls instead of punching them out:

"Essentially, he’s staying on his line and leaving crosses to his defenders, especially the balls he can’t hold.One could argue that a truly great goalkeeper is not so passive, that de Gea should actively dominate his box. But with de Gea’s slender build, only 185 pounds at 6’4”, it’s a wise decision to play to his strengths."

Nevertheless, de Gea still has some work to do on his body-positioning and technique. As Reno writes, de Gea’s “overly cumbersome technique” often “mimics a jack-in-the-box,” causing de Gea to sprawl when he makes his reflex-intensive saves, leaving his body out of control. Thus, while de Gea is great at making last-ditch stops, these can often seem more like an exercise in desperation rather than one in mastery of the box.

Desirability (1-10):

8 – Given that the Spanish icon has a ton to offer Madrid, is still relatively young (26 years), and has worked to improve those aspects of his game that previously plagued him, I rate the desirability of this transfer as an 8 out of 10. De Gea would be an excellent replacement for Keylor Navas, if Madrid can finally get their fax-machine in order.

Likelihood (1-10):

10 – I think this transfer is nearly certain to go through. Marca have reported that Real Madrid are launching “Operation De Gea 2,” and are hell-bent on signing the Spanish keeper this summer. Perez is not one to be denied a flashy transfer, so he will probably be looking to finally catch the one that got away, and put de Gea’s name to paper sooner rather than later. Given de Gea’s Spanish pedigree and big-name status, it only makes sense that he will be commanding Real Madrid’s goal next season.