MLS wonderkid Gabriel Slonina could end up at Wolverhampton Wanderers or Southampton after a move to Premier League giants Chelsea fell through, according to AS.
It’s no secret that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints are looking for a new goalkeeper this summer.
After all, none of the shot-stoppers on Southampton’s roster – Willy Caballero, Fraser Forster and Alex McCarthy – will still be at St Mary’s when 2022/23 gets underway, as things stand anyway.
But is Slonina one for the future, rather than a readymade replacement for the resurgent Forster on the South Coast? The Illanois-born glovesman doesn’t turn 18 until May.
But he’d arrive in England with 17 MLS appearances for Chicago Fire – and an impressive eight clean sheets – under his belt.
Slonina may be taking only the first few steps on his footballing journey but don’t assume that he’d be content with a reserve-team role this side of the Atlantic.
Is Gabriel Slonina a goalkeeper with world-class potentiak?
“He reminds me very much of a young Gigi Buffon,” says Tony Meola, Major League Soccer legend.
“You look at his body, you look at his movements. I had the chance to be at Parma when Gigi Buffon was there. He’s a guy that you could tell was going to work his way through anything, and that’s kind of what I see from (Slonina).
“He’s one day going to be the USA’s starting goalkeeper. Within the next 24 months, he’s going to be in Europe and needs to be in Europe.”
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea were in advanced negotiations to sign Slonina for around £6 million recently.
That was until the UK government placed sanctions on Roman Abramovich following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Under current rules, Chelsea will be prohibited from signing new players in the 2022 summer transfer window.
But while one door closes for Slonina, another window of opportunity has opened up. In addition to Southampton, Wolves have joined the race for a teenager dubbed ‘the most promising ‘keeper in MLS history’.
Slonina could be Wolves’ number two next season with John Ruddy out of contract.
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