Good news, bad news. Well, I guess the bad news is done already, so it's mostly good news. Thibaut Courtois has successfully undergone surgery on his meniscus. Recovery is expected to take 2-3 months, with the consensus coming in at around 10 weeks.
Thibaut Courtois underwent surgery yesterday on an avulsion of the posterior corner and medial part of the internal meniscus of his right knee. The successful surgery consisted of a reattachment of the meniscus by suturing.
-source: Chelsea
Thanks for that detail, I guess. I'm so glad we sutured it, rather than just using super glue. Modern medicine!
Thank you everyone for the support and the good wishes! I will work hard to recover as soon as I can! #cfc pic.twitter.com/ED8ubSezQx
— Thibaut Courtois (@thibautcourtois) September 11, 2015
Since we're down one goalkeeper for the foreseeable future, the question arose earlier today whether we would sign a free agent or perhaps bring somebody in on emergency loan (which is allowed per FA/Premier League regulations). I think the last time we had to do something like that was 2006, when Magnus Hedman was signed following the head injuries to Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini. Hedman only stayed for a few months and didn't actually get to make any appearances -- though he speaks very highly of his time at Chelsea still, and remains a fan alongside his kids -- as the legendary Henrique Hilario deputized.
"I don't want to think about [an emergency loan]. I just lost a goalkeeper. I want to be positive.
"[Jamal Blackman] didn't play one single match in the Premier League. He was on loan at Middlesbrough. I think he didn't play one match in the Championship. I think he played in a cup match against Liverpool and no more than that.
"No experience of being in goal. He doesn't have that, but he has potential."
-José Mourinho; source: Express
While the situation is very similar to when Hedman was brought in, with just one senior goalkeeper left standing, backed up by youth (we only had Hilario and a goalkeeper named Yves Makabu-Ma-Kalambay* in 2006), apparently we're okay with fully entrusting Blackman in the backup role. While it seems like the young English goalkeeper has been around forever, he's still only just 21. He's got nearly 100 youth appearances to his name since making his U18 debut as a 16-year-old, and has one professional start as well, which Jose mentions (that was the match that ended in the 14-13 penalty shootout). He's served as our third goalkeeper for several seasons now, even picking up winners' medals in the Champions League and the Europa League.
* Amazing name aside, Yves' claim to fame is this hilarious blunder goal a few years later. Ma-Kalamity!