Poor Real Madrid. Despite its public pursuit, the Spanish titans walked away from the transfer window without its new No. 1 goalie. David De Gea was destined to be the heir to Iker Casillas for club and country, but for the time being it seems that this will not be the case.

Now the team will have to go through January without an elite keeper. Or will they?

Let's take a few steps back and look at the need for De Gea to begin with. Casillas was on the decline as early as 2012 and the team was looking to replace him with a far younger keeper. De Gea fit the bill and his performance in England made it clear that he was one of the best in the world.

The problem with that reasoning is that Madrid already had one of the top goalies in the universe. The 2014 World Cup established that Manuel Neuer was the best in the world, but it also showed that Costa Rican native Keylor Navas was not far behind.

The former Levante keeper kept his nation in the tournament all the way to the quarterfinals when only a penalty shootout could keep him out of the semifinals. For his efforts, he became one of hottest commodities and was quickly snatched up by Madrid.

It seemed that the Casillas dilemma would be solved until Navas wound up being a benchwarmer for the balance of the season.

With De Gea looking to be the new No. 1 in 2015-16, Navas' stay in Spain's capital looked to be short-lived.

Now it won't be. And for the Madrid fans should rejoice.

WhoScored put together a comparison chart between Navas' stats from 2013-14, the last season he was a true No. 1, and De Gea's 2014-15 stats with United. The stats do favor the Costa Rican.

Both started 37 games. Navas averaged more saves per game (4.3-2.5), a higher save percentage (80.4 percent to 69.9 percent), more clean sheets (16-10), more punches and more sweeps. Of course, he played for a woeful Levante side that was on the verge of relegation so he was obviously facing more shots and forced to make more saves.

That said, he was the reason that Levante remained in the first division the following season. Without him, the team capitulated.

Navas is a strong shot blocker with terrific reflexes and solid positioning. De Gea is a similar kind of goalie, but has the advantage of being taller and younger. While his stats might not match up with Navas' in the comparison, he is five years younger and hence has a higher window. By the time he is 28, De Gea could easily be the best keeper in the world, something that Navas, despite his tremendous talents, is not.

That said, Navas has the full support of his teammates, something that should get him back on his feet. The same cannot seemingly be said for De Gea who has a contentious relationship with Manchester coach Louis Van Gaal. 

Regardless, Madrid still has an elite keeper to help it in 2015-16. That is something the team has not had since 2011-12 when Casillas had his final season in top form.

Would you prefer Navas or De Gea?