3. Marcus Bettinelli signs for Chelsea on a free
Chelsea completed its first signing in this window after reaching an agreement to sign Marcus Bettinelli on a free for two years. This is not a signing the fans much care about, but this deal is important seeing as it covers a gaping hole in the squad left by Chelsea’s third-choice shot stopper Willy Caballero. The 29-year-old, who was a free agent after his deal with Fulham expired, has completed his medical and been unveiled as a new Blues player.
Bettinelli was promoted to the senior squad at Fulham as a teenager in 2012/13 and went on to make 120 appearances for the Cottagers in all competitions. The one-time England U21 international has spent time on loan at Dartford and Accrington Stanley. Last season, he went out on loan to Middlesbrough and made 42 appearances in all competitions, keeping 13 clean sheets as the Boro finished 10th in the Championship. The addition of Bettinelli to the squad also helps the club in boosting the home-grown quota due to his English nationality.
In his first interview as a Chelsea player, Marcus Bettinelli said:
"“This is one of the biggest clubs in the world so I’m thankful to be here now. I have this amazing opportunity so it’s down to me to impress and do what I can. I’m excited to work with those two world-class goalkeepers and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from them both. One of the biggest reasons for joining Chelsea is I’ve still got a lot to give.”"
Now, as Chelsea has three goalkeepers for the next season—including Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga—the club can now focus on signing new players and selling fringe English players like Danny Drinkwater, Lewis Baker, Jake Clarke-Salter and many more.