The current starters (Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen)
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| Harry Murphy - Danehouse / Getty |
There is a possibility that Sanchez is moved on in the next few years, especially given that several other goalkeepers can grow to outclass the Spaniard.
I never like to rush to judgement whenever goalkeepers have a poor game, and I don't think Maresca does either - after a few poor matches Maresca was quick to back up the player, but it might have reached the point where he cannot continue to defend his performances.
His judgement making is erratic at times. I've noticed that he's often quick to restart the game, and gives away the ball as a result.
After barely a year with Sanchez and Petrovic as our starting keepers, Petrovic was hauled off on loan and we brought in yet another goalkeeper in Filip Jorgensen, who was deemed to fit Enzo Maresca's system slightly better.
He's been solid so far this season - doing his duties in the group stage of the Conference League, and now being trusted with league minutes after Sanchez's continued slip-ups - confirmed by Enzo Maresca this week.
His first real test in the league was handled fairly well - a 2-1 win against West Ham, with not a lot he could have done about the goal.
What is needed most of all is consistency. We can't keep rotating our starting keepers, nor can we continue to keep bringing in new ones. If I could keep one between the two, it would probably be Jorgensen.
The potential starters (Djordje Petrovic, Kepa Arrizabalaga)
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| Bryn Lennon / Getty |
A lot of Chelsea fans hate Kepa. I think he's had his ups and downs - of course he had a bit of a difficult start, and he's had to carry the mantle of most expensive goalkeeper in world football, which is always tough.
Kepa is now into his thirties - something that might put off the ownership and their goals to recruit young, promising squad members to build for the future. I think his last few seasons have been consistent - he had a good runout at Real Madrid and is thriving at Bournemouth this season
He could easily stay on the south coast and continue to be a part of Iraola's exciting team. That might be the more likely option, especially in a few years when the younger keepers mature a bit more.
As I said before, I think Petrovic was solid in the latter half of last season, and his loan move to Strasbourg surprised me, given how settled he looked in his first season at Chelsea.
He's been terrific in France, however, and has shown big improvement in a lot of key areas and statistics.
Many think Petrovic is ready to return to London and compete for the goalkeeper spot - myself included - though a sale has not been ruled out completely, as a profit on the club's original investment could be achieved.
The most-likely-will-never-be-starters (Marcus Bettinelli, Eddie Beach, Lucas Bergstrom)
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| Darren Walsh / Getty |
I laughed out loud when I found this photo - it's up there for favourite out of context photo of a Chelsea player. Marcus Bettinelli is sat in the front, arms out, loving life.
Betts has been at Chelsea for almost four years, and his Wikipedia section for the club is three sentences long. His only professional appearance came in an FA Cup game in 2022.
He is to Chelsea what Scott Carson is to Manchester City. Helps fill the homegrown quota, but as a third choice goalie, he is doomed to a life on the sidelines.
He seems to have a good relationship with a lot of the squad and that's always a beneficial figure to have around the training ground - I also think he's friendly and welcoming to any new signings, which helps a lot especially with some of the younger players.
He'll eventually fizzle out and move away from London, but I'm happy he continues to stick around.
Lucas Bergstrom is often included in our squads year on year with no clear route into the first team. Sadly I think his future is away from Chelsea. The Finnish shot-stopper turns 23 this year and has enough maturity and experience to find a new destination and challenge for a starting spot.
Blackpool enquired over a loan move at the start of the season but nothing came from it - though there will surely be interested parties this summer.
I think having clubs in the EFL that target his signature is only a good thing - he has talent, but will struggle to compete with the rest of Chelsea's keepers.
Eddie Beach is another unfortunate case - he was loaned out to Crawley but struggled to fight for minutes and picked up a rough injury, culminating in his return to the club.
His contract expires this summer and he will likely not look to renew, hoping for a fresh opportunity from next season onwards.
At twenty-one, his desire to be a starting goalkeeper at each of his loan destinations is commendable - hopefully he continues to grow and develop as a player.
The future starters? (Mike Penders, Gabriel Slonina)
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| Chris Lee (Chelsea FC) / Getty |
Chelsea's signing of Mike Penders got a lot of people excited, with many thinking the Belgian shot-stopper will become Chelsea's new number 1 for an extended period.
He shares similarities with Madrid keeper and former Chelsea player Thibaut Courtois, as both began their careers at Genk. Courtois was sent on loan immediately after signing, spending three years at Atletico Madrid - the same strategy will likely be the case with Penders.
He joins the club officially this summer.
Gabriel Slonina has been with the Blues for a while now but has had positive loan moves at Chicago Fire, Eupen, and more recently Barnsley, where he became a fan favourite.
Similarly to Beach, he struggled with an injury which forced Chelsea to cut his loan short.
There is still potential, but given the ownership have signed four more keepers in the span of a few years, they may look to move Slonina on permanently and aim for a profit.
Though, hindsight is 20/20, and I personally would love to see him in a Chelsea shirt, in some capacity.