Enzo Maresca to give Strasbourg loanee Chelsea trial in the summer
- Barnaby Lane
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is set to give RC Strasbourg loanee Djordje Petrovic a second chance at the club this summer as he looks to solve his ongoing goalkeeping issues.
Petrovic was Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper under Mauricio Pochettino during the 2023/24 season but was loaned to France by Maresca in the summer. The Italian manager deemed him the wrong profile for his system and instead entrusted Robert Sánchez with the No. 1 jersey.
However, Sánchez has struggled this season, making five errors leading to goals in the Premier League – joint-most in the division alongside Ipswich Town's Aro Muric.
With Maresca having recently hinted that Sánchez’s time as his first-choice keeper at Stamford Bridge could soon be up, the Chelsea boss is now seemingly prepared to give Petrovic another opportunity.
According to The Telegraph, Petrovic will return to Chelsea this summer and will be assessed by Maresca and his staff, and could feature in the Club World Cup in June and July.
Additionally, young Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders, 19, will officially join the club from Genk. Having been signed by Chelsea in August 2024, he is also expected to get a chance to prove himself.
"The current plan at Chelsea is for the club to assess Petrovic and Penders, along with this season’s first-team duo of Robert Sánchez and Filip Jorgensen, this summer before deciding on the goalkeeping roster for next season," wrote The Telegraph’s Matt Law.
Petrovic has made 24 appearances in Ligue 1 for Strasbourg this season, keeping nine clean sheets. More notably, he has made significant improvements with the ball at his feet, aligning better with Maresca’s play-out-from-the-back philosophy.
Penders, meanwhile, has posted similar numbers for Genk, making 26 appearances in all competitions and keeping nine clean sheets. He is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most talented young goalkeepers.
With Petrovic and Penders returning, Chelsea is not expected to sign a new first-team goalkeeper this summer unless an unmissable opportunity arises.
One potential target, if Chelsea does move for a new goalkeeper, is Torino’s Vanja Milinković-Savić. Reports last week suggested Chelsea would have "no problem" triggering his £16.7 million (€20 million) release clause.
Milinković-Savić, the younger brother of Lazio legend Sergej Milinković-Savić, has made just one error leading to a goal in Ligue 1 since the start of the 2021/22 season, and has been described by Torino boss Paolo Vanoli as "underrated."
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