The news from Fabrizio Romano that Chelsea are about to complete a loan move sending Kepa Arrizabalaga to Bournemouth might have you thinking that the Blues are ready to decrease the number of goalkeepers on their books – but in fact it looks like a one in, one out policy.
The club have just reported on their official site that Belgian teenager Mike Penders has been signed from KRC Genk. He’s signed a contract until 2032, but will stay on loan at his current team until next summer at the earliest.
There has been no official announcement of the fee we’re paying, but most sources put it at around £17m. As we’ve seen in similar “loan back” arrangements, there are likely to be some financial benefits to Genk for using him more often this season, too.
Development is everything for goalkeeping talent
Leaving Penders to develop on loan is clearly a priority for Chelsea, given he’s still just 19 and needs a lot more experience before he’s ready for the Premier League. He made his senior debut last month, and while he’s not first choice, he looks set to play a decent number of games in the Belgian top flight.
Penders is almost 2 metres tall and has a huge wingspan. He’s got all the tools to be a great top level goalkeeper, he just needs to keep working on his game and developing. The fee we’ve paid showed how much faith there is in his ability already.
Meanwhile, back at the mothership, the battle is on between Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen to be our number one for the year. Djordje Petrovic looks set to leave, although there’s been little concrete interest in him so far from what we can tell. Kepa Arrizabalaga has been loaned to Bournemouth.
