Chelsea still have a huge number of sales and loans to complete before the transfer window closes, but they have at least managed one today.
Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who earned the first choice keeper spot last season but was then bumped down by the signing of Filip Jorgensen and Maresca’s preference for Robert Sanchez, has moved to Chelsea’s affiliate club Strasbourg on loan.
There’s still a medical pending, and it hasn’t been announced, but according to everyone it’s a done deal. He joins fellow Blues Caleb Wiley and Andrey Santos on loan, while Diego Moreira signed permanently for them a month ago.
Transfer delays are very curious
One question we have is why this deal wasn’t done weeks, if not months ago? From the moment it became clear that Enzo Maresca wasn’t keen on using Petrovic as his first choice, plans could have been in motion to loan him out. Certainly, from the moment Jorgensen signed at the end of July, it’s been clear Petrovic was on the way out. The way a foreign loan slot has been preserved for him made that clear, as have all the rumours all the way along which have said this was the plan.
It’s not like we were shopping him around and just ended up sending him to Strasbourg. It’s quite clearly been the plan all along. So why has he wasted weeks training at Cobham when he could have had all that time and more adapting to his new team and a new country, and potentially playing in his new team’s 2 league games already played this season? Given they’re our affiliate club and it’s a simple loan, it’s not like there was any negotiating to do. It could have been signed off in an afternoon if we wanted.
Very curious.
