Real Madrid's outlook on their season just got shakier as their star keeper Thibaut Courtois has suffered a torn ACL, the club announced. The injury could sideline the Belgian for most of the season and Real Madrid are already needing to get used to life without Karim Benzema while looking to challenge for the La Liga title. With Andriy Lunin as the only true backup in the squad, Real Madrid have secured a replacement in Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea.
Looking to leave the club, Kepa was in discussions with Bayern Munich according to CBS Sports insider Fabrizio Romano but said yes to Real Madrid when they called. A former Athletic Club keeper and a Spanish international, it's a return to familiar territory for Kepa after showing that he can still be a top keeper playing in 37 matches for Chelsea last season.
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For the past few seasons, Courtois has been the only thing propping up Real Madrid's defense with his saves in key moments helping the team win La Liga, Champions League and so much more which makes these big gloves to fill between the sticks. Even with the addition of Jude Bellingham, Carlo Ancelotti had a lot of questions to answer ahead of the season for Los Blancos and this injury will add to them leaving big shoes for Arrizabalaga to fill.
Even with a new keeper secured, there is a chance that the injuries and departures could become too much for Real Madrid, seeing them utilize this as a transitional season where they bide their time for Kylian Mbappe while also figuring out who will coach the team when Ancelotti departs for Brazil at the end of the season.
