The 2025 summer transfer window has now officially slammed shut. Chelsea were busy, as always, with a plethora of incomings and outgoings to shape the squad for the upcoming season or at least until January. But not all transfer links transformed into reality, and for the betterment of the Blues' future, this is a good conclusion.
A late development in the transfer window was the availability of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Despite his recent success of winning the Champions League and placing as the runner up in the Club World Cup, PSG decided to move in a different direction and signed Lucas Chevalier as their new number 1.
Reports indicated that the Italian keeper had set his sights on a move to England. Naturally, Chelsea became heavily linked with his name, with a large section of the fanbase eager to see Robert Sanchez replaced.
Donnarumma is an elite shot stopper but despite his reputation as a world-class keeper, he is not without his own glaring weaknesses. Most notable of these are his below-average passing and on-ball composure.
Chelsea avoided a mistake by not signing world-class player
Fifteen years ago, the footballing world did not even consider those weaknesses significant when evaluating a 6 ft 5 in towering goalkeeper with elite box command. However, the sport has evolved, and for certain managers, there is not a more important skillset. Of course, there can be a debate about the viability of such a stance.
Most importantly, Enzo Maresca falls firmly within the camp of managers who prefer ball playing keepers, as did his Donnarumma's former manager, Luis Enrique. Early into his Chelsea tenure, the Italian made a bold statement when asked about keepers ignoring his firm tactic to play from the back:
"I am the guy who asks Robert to do that. And Robert is going to do that. In the moment he stops to do that, he is not going to play. "
While there have been questions over the goalkeeping situation for multiple seasons and many fans called for the signing of Donnarumma, the answer may be found in Mike Penders. The 6 ft 7 in, 20-year-old Belgian keeper whom Chelsea signed last summer. He is now on loan at Strasbourg.
His staggering physical profile and elite passing skills have established him as a possible long-term option. As a passer, he boasted stats of;78.7% passing accuracy, 151 accurate long balls, and 48.1% long ball accuracy. A move for an established keeper like Donnoruma not only does not fit Maresca's tactical desire but also blocks Penders' pathway.
While Donnarumma certainly has his elite reputation, overall, Chelsea were better off in their current position than spending £26 million to sign him. Of course, Pep Guardiola likes a ball-playing goalkeeper as well, so it was an interesting signing and let's see how the Italian adjusts.