Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina was a bit of an unknown when he arrived in 2022, in BlueCo’s first window, but he arrived with a pretty strong resumé from MLS, especially for an 18-year-old. He was the second youngest signing in league history at the time (now eighth), becoming the youngest ever starting goalkeeper a couple years later with the Chicago Fire, recording a clean sheet, before earning the nickname Super Gaga and then a $10+5m move to Chelsea.
Alas, his time in Europe has been less than super.
The closest he’s come to a Chelsea appearance have been the ten times he’s made the matchday squad. He had a pretty good loan at KAS Eupen in Belgium (even though they ended up getting relegated) and then a not-so-great time at Barnsley, which ended in injury and a recall halfway through the season. It’s unclear how bad that finger injury truly was, but it took him a while to recover and get back to full fitness. He’s been back at Cobham ever since, but has barely seen any playing time at any level, serving mostly as the third goalkeeper in training.
Now, he’s hoping to get his career back on track and, unsurprisingly, that will probably involve leaving Chelsea. He does still have two years left on his contract, but according to the BBC, he’s “looking to leave” and, in turn, Chelsea have made him available for transfer … at an “asking price” that we “are happy with but that doesn’t deter suitors”. Whatever that means. I don’t imagine backup goalkeepers who have barely played in two years would command large transfer fees.
I’ve always rated Super Gaga, and I am a bit saddened that it hasn’t worked out for him at Chelsea. Let’s hope his next move is the right move.
