Enzo Maresca isn’t yet officially the new Chelsea manager head coach (just a matter of hours now, surely), but our focus is now shifting towards addressing the various needs of the playing squad. And there are certainly a few things that need to be addressed.
Goalkeeper may not be a priority item — striker, center back, left back are the top three, reportedly — but we do have some decisions to make at that position as well.
Neither Robert Sánchez nor Đorđe Petrović impressed universally, though the former did get a nomination for Premier League Save of the Season while the latter did not relinquish his grip on the starting position after getting his chance following Sánchez’s injury back in early December.
And to complicate the situation, Kepa Arrizabalaga is most likely coming back from Real Madrid, too, after failing to convince them of keeping him for good. But given Maresca’s expected preference for a ball-playing goalkeeper, it may not be a given that we would want to get rid of Kepa at all cost. His continued presence is a byproduct of Sarriball after all.
That preference would perhaps also favor Sánchez, but intriguingly, Maresca is “understood [to have] praised” Petrović during his interviews with Chelsea. At Leicester City, Maresca specifically brought in a goalkeeper renowned for his ball-playing skills, Mads Hermansen, who grew up also playing goalkeeper in handball (no feet allowed there, and with a very high positioning in possession). And while Maresca may be only a “head coach” in expected title, his input will undoubtedly be also considered by the decision-makers.
Stray, and rather poorly sourced, rumors from Spain have recently linked Chelsea with young Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen, but the 22-year-old’s stat profile compares closer to Petrović than Sánchez. And it sounds like, if anything, Newcastle United are the Premier League team looking at him most closely anyway.
And hey, let’s not forget about GAGA!
Decisions, decisions. Time to get to work!
Understand Chelsea are exploring a new goalkeeper for this summer. It’s become more of a priority position because of the kind of profile Enzo Maresca’s system requires.
Villarreal’s Filip Jorgensen is one possible target, as @NizaarKinsella called. But also keep an eye on… pic.twitter.com/kiDImJCEhf
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) May 29, 2024
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