Pay attention Sorare managers, it might be time to buy some cheap Sorare goalkeepers and, hopefully, make some money.
First of all the cover photo of this blog was made by DALL-E, an AI tool that can generate unique 2D and 3D images from textual descriptions.
The summer transfer window is fast approaching and many teams are already planning their moves to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season.
With the contract of several shot-stoppers set to expire at the end of the current season, clubs will be keeping a close eye on them as they look to secure their goalkeeping future. In this Sorare blog post, we take a look at some of the notable goalkeepers who will become free agents this summer and could potentially be on the move. From experienced goalkeepers to promising young talents, this list has it all
Andrey Lunev (Leverkusen)
Lunev is a respectable goalkeeper with some very good reflexes, excellent positioning, and hard to beat from a distance. He joined the club in 2021 from Zenith St Petersburg but never made the impact he wanted. Despite Lukas Hradecky’s error-strewn displays between the sticks during a disastrous start to the season for Leverkusen, Lunev has spent most of this season stuck on the sidelines. Hradecky is the first goalkeeper and it won't change any time soon. Unfortunately, Lunev suffered a back injury (herniated disc) at the end of January, which forced Leverkusen to buy Pentz van Reims as the second goalkeeper (contract till 2025).
I couldn't find many transfer rumors on where Lunev will end up this summer. In the past months, he was linked with Rangers, Brentford, ... Chances are he'll be going back to Russia.
His Sorare price is dropping, you can pick up a limited card for about 8 dollars.
Mattijs Branderhorst (NEC)
23 saves! A record in Dutch football. Unfortunately for us, it was a cup game and not covered by Opta & Sorare. It is not uncommon that the backup goalkeepers get to play in cup games.
The arrival of Jasper Cillessen in August forced Branderhorst to take a step back. He thought of leaving but stayed anyway. With an expiring contract, NEC's 29-year-old reserve goalkeeper's future does seem to lie elsewhere soon.
"I will soon be available for free. Jasper still has an ongoing contract and was brought in as first keeper. I understand that. But I also want to play and if that's not possible here, I'll have to look elsewhere. As long as Jasper stays, there is no future for me at NEC." - Branderhorst
An interesting quote I would like to add is from a Dutch pundit "Branderhorst would be the first goalkeeper at any club outside the top three".
Yanick Van Osch (Fortuna Sittard)
Another dutch goalkeeper made the list.
Fortuna Sittard started for the third season in a row with Yanick van Osch as the first goalkeeper. After three games, the Dutchman ended up on the bench at the expense of Ivor Pandur (nicknamed the flying Croatian), a 22-year-old Croatian who is loaned for a year with the option to buy, from Hellas Verona.
There was a possibility that Van Osch was going to leave during the recent winter Mercato but interest was rather weak.
It is very unclear where Van Osch will end up and I couldn't find any rumors helping me.
"I have an age where you have to play games," -Van Osch
I do love when a goalkeeper says he needs to play, let's just hope it isn't in the dutch second division.
Gaetan Coucke (KV Mechelen)
A starting u23 Sorare goalkeeper is always a bit famous on the platform. So is Coucke, formed at the famous RC Genk academy. A few things to keep in mind is that his E23 eligibility will end this summer, which might explain his recent price drop. Another reason might be that KV Mechelen is performing subpar, Coucke is performing well but can't keep a clean sheet.
As is tradition KV Mechelen has got some financial issues and can't strengthen their squad.
"There have been no talks yet. Those are not planned yet either. But I'm very happy in Mechelen. I also like living in Antwerp. So that's all right. We'll see what happens next. The ball is in the board's court. There is no rush." - Coucke
He never made a it secret that he would like to play abroad, a few clubs were interested last year (Reims, Torino, West-Ham, ...). There is an option to prolong the contract by one year which can be triggered by the club.
If Coucke leaves, you might want to follow the situation of the current second goalkeeper Yannick Thoelen.
Neto (Bournemouth)
Easy to spell name is always a plus for us writers, although when you search for Neto you get about 40 different players. But just to be clear: It's the 33-year-old Brazillian goalkeeper who used to play for Barcelona, Valencia, Fiorentina, and Juventus, and now plays for the newly promoted Bournemouth. The team has been having a difficult season and is currently in the relegation zone.
Gary O'Neil, the coach of the troubled Bournemouth, has recently appointed Neto as the new captain. Neto was the second goalkeeper for some time behind the young Mark Travers but has won his place between the sticks. Having started all but eight of his club's 18 previous league fixtures this season, the three-time Ireland cap was dropped.
O'Neil praised the impressive Neto:
"He’s been big for us since he came in. He is always pushing things. Has played for some really top clubs, has good experience and is a really top goalkeeper. Leadership-wise, he has some real qualities."
Inter Milan is very keen on trying to sign Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto on a free transfer to back up Andre Onana in goal for next season. Handanovic is likely to leave Inter at the end of the summer rather than extend his contract with the club past the end of June.
Timo Horn (Koln)
Another easy name to write. German efficiency at its finest.
After a shaky performance last season, the goalkeeper lost his place between the posts to rival Marvin Schwäbe, who enjoyed the trust of coach Steffen Baumgart and has been doing his job almost perfectly ever since. FC Köln made Timo Horn a new contract offer, but at significantly lower wages. It looks like the Koln legend will change teams this summer. Bitter for Horn, who has been playing for his heart club since childhood
However, the 1.92-meter tall goalkeeper is in no hurry, as his management team can quietly explore the market and see what chances Horn has for next season.
Horn is known to be very ambitious and would definitely like to continue his career, outside the Bundesliga if necessary.
The third goalkeeper is also interesting to write about: Jonas Urbig, currently loaned out for two years, and is, arguably, one of the biggest goalkeeper talents in Germany.
Samuel Sahin-Radlinger (Ried)
First-choice goalkeeper Samuel Sahin-Radlinger suffered a severe meniscus injury and will be absent from his team for several months. With ex-Rapid goalkeeper Richard Strebinger, who had been without a club for months, Ried has already found a replacement. Strebinger joined until the end of the season. Radlinger has been under contract with Ried since the summer of 2020 and has been the clear number one ever since. His contract runs out this summer and it is very unclear where Radlinger will end up.
Okan Kocuk (Galatasaray)
Team captain Muslera got injured in one of the previous matches and left the stadium on crutches. Muslera should be injured for about a month. At the time Fernando Muslera was injured, there was talk of the yellow-red club bringing in a foreign goalkeeper. There were rumors about loaning Berisha from Torino.
However, coach Okan Buruk stated that he trusted the reserve goalkeeper.
Enter Okan Kocuk.
Okan Kocuk is considered one of the most highly-rated goalkeepers in Turkey.
However, it is unclear where Kocuk will end up, especially now he's got a chance as a first goalkeeper.
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