(Credit: Imago)

Jonathan Burnett

Tue 19 August 2025 13:03, UK

Chelsea’s best goalkeeping option is still up for debate as Mike Penders and Filip Jorgensen set their sights on the number one shirt.

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Enzo Maresca saw his side get their Premier League campaign off to a stuttering start on 17 August, as Chelsea held Crystal Palace to a 0-0 draw which included several defensive scares at Stamford Bridge.

Eberechi Eze’s 13th-minute free-kick was chalked off by VAR after Marc Guehi’s foul on Moises Caicedo in the Chelsea wall, keeping Robert Sanchez‘s clean sheet intact after Eze’s effort beat him easily.

Sanchez was at the centre of another controversy later in the first half when an accidental punch to the back of Eze’s head was missed altogether by VAR, raising further questions over Chelsea’s number one.

Robert Sanchez was spared by a VAR decision against Crystal Palace (Credit: Imago)

Chelsea added Penders to their goalkeeping stocks this summer a year on from agreeing a £17million fee with Genk, and he joined Sanchez and Jorgensen after the latter’s £20m move from Villarreal in 2024.

Penders’ time with the first-team was brief, however, after Chelsea loaned the Belgian to their sister club Strasbourg for the 2025–26 season alongside his fellow new arrivals Kendry Paez and Mamadou Sarr.

Sanchez, Jorgensen and Gabriel Slonina are the only keepers Maresca has to work with after Penders’ swift departure on loan, and the 20-year-old made his debut for Strasbourg against Metz on 17 August.

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Penders celebrated his first appearance with a post on Instagram, and Jorgensen was one of several Chelsea players to like his message, which said: “Very happy with my Ligue 1 debut for RSCA, a clean sheet and a derby win.

Perfect start to the new season.”

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Football Insider Verdict

Chelsea may only be one game into the new campaign but fans want to see the back of Sanchez already, after Eze‘s free-kick went straight through him on Sunday and he was “bailed out” by that VAR decision.

Penders was expected to make an immediate impact at Stamford Bridge, but the youngster seemingly won’t get a chance to make his Chelsea debut until 2026, two years after he agreed to sign for the Blues.

Jorgensen played second-fiddle to Sanchez last season with 24 appearances in all competitions to the Spaniard’s 40, but the 23-year-old will be hoping that by the time Penders returns, the number one shirt is his to lose at Chelsea.

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