Several positions in the Chelsea squad have been subject to criticism this year, especially when it comes to a lack of world class talent. Striker is one of the hot topics as the Blues have no real answer at the position behind Nicolas Jackson and that much has become obvious since he suffered an injury in early February.
The other position under the most scrutiny has been goalkeeper with number one Robert Sanchez being dropped because of far too many errors that lead to opposition goals. Even Filip Jorgensen, promoted to number one as a safer option than the mistake-prone Sanchez, has been shaky at times and cost the Blues two points with a howler against Aston Villa.
Fans have been calling for the Blues to spend big on a true world class keeper to replace both and hope that he is more like Thibaut Courtois than Kepa Arrizabalaga. However according to a report in the Daily Mail from an insider, the Blues plan to roll with their current crop of keepers after making a few additions in summer 2024.
This would include the aforementioned Sanchez and Jorgensen but would also include Djordje Petrovic who has excelled on loan at sister club Strasbourg this season. We can also include youngster Mike Penders who is just 19 and is doing well on loan at Gent in the Belgian first division.
If it were up to us, Petrovic would be the man for the job as he looked great at times when he was starting for Chelsea in the 2023-24 season aside from the errors you may expect from a young keeper. The Serbian international had just made the leap from MLS to the Premier League so we should have expected some growing pains.
Now Petrovic will have another 30 or so appearances at a top flight league in Europe and he will be a much better and more experienced keeper. Ligue 1 is not the dogfight that the Premier League is but it is still miles ahead of MLS in terms of competition level.
Another intriguing option is Penders who is still so young but could show that he is ready to compete for a starting job with a strong summer. He has only made 8 appearances in the Belgian First Division A but he is massive at 6’7” and hopes are he could be the next Courtois.
Sometimes spending big to address a position is not the best call as that fee can lead to additional pressure and can derail a young player’s career. In the case of Chelsea they saw that happen with Arrizabalaga who struggled with the tag of being the most expensive keeper in football history.
The Blues may very well have their long term answer at the position already on the books but many fans won’t see it that way and would prefer the big money signing. We will have to wait and see what the club decides to do but we are all rooting for someone world class to finally be back between the sticks for Chelsea.