Who are the four contenders to become Chelsea’s No.1 goalkeeper next season? | Football

There are four contenders to become Chelsea’s main goalkeeper next season with Djordje Petrovic and three others fighting for the No.1 spot.

Petrovic, who joined the Blues from New England Revolution in 2023, has spent the current 2024-25 campaign on loan at sister club RC Strasbourg.

The 25-year-old Serbia international was originally deemed the wrong type of goalkeeper for Enzo Maresca’s style of football at Stamford Bridge.

But Petrovic and three other goalkeepers will be given the chance to prove themselves ahead of the 2025-26 season, according to The Telegraph.

Chelsea spent £14m to bring Petrovic to west London and he’s played a total of 31 games for the Blues to date.

Here are the other three goalkeepers Petrovic is up against for the No.1 spot under Maresca…

The four contenders to become Chelsea’s No.1 goalkeeper revealed

Djordje Petrovic

As mentioned, Petrovic is on the four-man list to become Chelsea’s No.1 goalkeeper next season.

The Blues are looking at current options rather than a new signing, despite calls for the club to consider a move for Liverpool’s Caoimhín Kelleher.

Kepa Arrizabalaga is not under consideration either, with AFC Bournemouth hoping to turn his loan move into a permanent switch.

Mike Penders

Mike Penders could potentially become Chelsea’s No.1 goalkeeper for the 2025-26 season.

Chelsea completed a deal for the highly-rated teenager in August but he is still playing for Belgian club Genk ahead of joining his new team this summer.

Penders is keen for regular game time, and despite only being 19, he’ll be given the No.1 shirt if he’s deemed the best choice of the four goalkeepers.

‘I am incredibly proud and grateful to announce that I have signed a contract with Chelsea,’ Penders said in August. ‘This is a huge step in my career and I can’t wait to give everything for this amazing club.’

Robert Sanchez

Robert Sanchez is the third option. He held the No.1 shirt for the first part of this season before losing it to back-up goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.

Despite making a series of errors, Maresca has always fiercely backed Sanchez in the media.

But many pundits feel Sanchez is not good enough to be Chelsea’s No.1 goalkeeper.

Speaking earlier this year, Jamie Carragher said that Sanchez should be playing ‘for a team in the bottom half’ of the Premier League.

Filip Jorgensen

Jorgensen, Chelsea’s current No.1 goalkeeper, is the fourth option for the 2025-26 season.

Chelsea paid £20.7m to sign Jorgensen from Villarreal in the last summer transfer window.

The 22-year-old had to bide his time at Stamford Bridge before eventually replacing Sanchez. He’s played a total of 18 games for the club to date.

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