Patrick Schulte: Columbus Crew keeper draws interest from Arsenal, Man Utd & Co.

Patrick Schulte could be the next Major League Soccer goalkeeper on the move to the Premier League. The Telegraph reported this week that Arsenal are keen on signing the 23-year-old Columbus Crew goalkeeper this summer. According to the report, Arsenal see Schulte as a potential addition if Aaron Ramsdale decides to leave the club in the summer. Ramsdale’s departure is possible as Mikel Arteta increasingly relies on new signing David Raya this season. 

Arsenal, however, are not the only club interested in the US men’s national team goalkeeper. Transfermarkt understands that Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers have also followed Schulte’s development in MLS. Man United are looking for an additional goalkeeper as backup Altay Bayındır could leave the club for more playing time this summer. As for a potential transfer fee, Transfermarkt understands that the Columbus Crew will take two recent goalkeeper transfers from MLS to the Premier League as potential benchmarks. 

Those two transfers are Gabriel Slonina for €9m from Chicago Fire to Chelsea in 2022 and Djordje Petrović for €14m from New England Revolution to Chelsea last summer. The expectations are that the Crew could ask for a transfer fee that lies somewhere in between Slonina’s and Petrović’s fees. Slonina and Petrović both set transfer records for the most expensive goalkeeper sales in MLS history. Slonina broke the record set by former Columbus Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen. Steffen joined Man City for €6.8m during the 2019/20 season—a record transfer for the Crew to the present day (overview).

Who is Arsenal target Patrick Schulte: From college star to record transfer?

With several Premier League clubs interested in Schulte, it is now more than possible that the 23-year-old could break Steffen’s club transfer record at the Columbus Crew. But who is Patrick Schulte, and why is he in high demand? Drafted from the Saint Louis Billikens (Saint Louis University) in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, Schulte has been a crucial piece in the Crew’s MLS Cup-winning season in 2023. Schulte was tenth overall in MLS with nine clean sheets across the regular season and playoffs and was called up to the US men’s national team debut in a 1-0 defeat to Slovenia in January.  

The excellent form has continued this season with Schulte backstopping the Columbus Crew to a 1-0 win over Atlanta United, a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United, and a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire to start the 2024 MLS regular season. Strong on the line and commanding in the box, Schulte’s development from a college player to a pro in MLS is remarkable. Indeed, Schulte is set to receive a market value increase at the end of the month and is a prime example of the talent that can be found in the MLS SuperDraft for clubs that scout well.