Eupen loses 3-1. This match was a must win to finish first in the Relegation group. They still have a chance to avoid the bottom two, but the window is very small now.
Eupen loses one of their key defenders as Jason Davidson out for the rest of the season. The slim hopes for Eupen just became harder, as their defense was already porous.
Slonina has a strong match, but his team loses 1-0 to Charleroi. That combined with Molenbeek's win over Kortrijk mean that Eupen is almost assuredly relegated. They would need to take the final 9 points from the three matches, and still hope that things went their way to avoid relegation.
I think that any chance that he were to stay in Belgium is gone with Eupen's relegation. He has seen tons of shots this season, so if that was the goal, it was accomplished. The next stage for his development would to see if he can take a team in the lower tier, who actually is decent, and push them into the upper tier of the league. Teams in that category: Las Palmas Rayo Vallecano Celta Vigo Marsailles Lecce Vernoa Bremen Wolfsburg Union Berlin Strasburg Nantes These are just examples. The key is that a top team is normally not going to take a loaned keeper.
Started today. They are down 0-2 in the 2nd half. Eupen will be officially relegated after the Kortrijk-Molenbeek match later this weekend.
Something that might really hurt Molenbeek in the last few matches, their captain was hit in the face and was on the field for 10 min. There is a fear that he might have bleeding on the brain.
Saw the goal - great header from a free kick, zero chance for Slonina. Three saves, two of them diving, 1.76 xGOT against. Seems like a decent match personally. Decent chance they give another keeper the last match, and that he's done until the Olympic prep. Pretty unlikely he'll play for Eupen next year.
Slonina plays the entire match in a 2-0 win. This was a strong match for Slonina and with the win, they relegate Molenbeek along with them. At this point, I think Slonina earned lots of playing time and that should benefit him in the long run. He had 7 saves.
My hope is he returns to Belgium with a mid table side or makes his way to the Eredivisie. He didn’t dominate at Eupen, but shows to be capable of taking another step up.
IDK if his performance earned an opportunity at Belgium's top level. He was among the weakest keepers. They could project improvement, but his rep is he & the team were relegation-level. Maybe Westerlo would give him a shot because their keeper was around as poor as him, and almost twice his age. They've also had a good experience w/ Americans. I've heard suggestion USS should showcase him between their two major comps this summer. But if you're trying to win, he doesn't deserve to play in either. Maybe as backup & #3. As is, maybe his destination is a random Austrian Bundesliga club or to have him back up a tenuous starter in the Championship, and just hope for his shot.
I am not denying that he had a tough year, but the owners of the club prior to the season made a decision to not invest in a club that lost on the last day of the season last year by 6 goals and only avoided relegation due to another team losing as well. So the team was not strong and no investment was made. I am not sure where he will end up, Westerlo could be an interesting location, but I still think that in about 4 years time, he will be a solid keeper. We still need to remember that he is only 19 years old.
Strasbourg could also turn to Chelsea for Gabriel Slonina as an option to replace number 1 goalkeeper Alaa Bellaarouch, who is yet to convince the club since taking over from Matz Sels in January. {L'Equipe} pic.twitter.com/0jLyQQmk1q— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) May 19, 2024 I'd love this he could convince enough to get the No.1 job there.