and I think many of his detractors would quickly see the flaws of any supposedly superior replacement after watching them week after week.

I can't think of any keeper potentially within our orbit who would be a nailed on improvement. Not saying it wouldn't be possible but an unnecessary gamble IMO, Pickford is not perfect by any means but some of the saves he's made in this horribly tense end to the season have been sensational, a few of them many of his peers wouldn't have been capable of, and many of the mistakes were at least in part down to the pressure of the general chaos unfolding in front of him.