Chelsea: Mike Penders shirt number confirmed as Blues team-mate set for loan switch

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Evening Standard

·11 June 2025

Chelsea: Mike Penders shirt number confirmed as Blues team-mate set for loan switch

The Blues have confirmed a host of new squad numbers ahead of naming their Club World Cup squad

Chelsea have confirmed Mike Penders’ shirt number for next season, inadvertently hinting at a planned loan move for another recent signing.

The 19-year-old Belgian shot-stopper, widely considered to be one of Europe’s top prospects in his position, signed to Chelsea from his boyhood club Genk in August 2024.

He returned to Genk on loan last season, making 26 appearances as they strolled to the Belgian Pro League title, and is now set to enter the first team fold at Chelsea.

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The club has now confirmed Penders will wear No39 next season, the same squad number he donned at Genk last campaign.

familiar: Mike Penders will rep the same shirt number for chelsea as he did for genk

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In assigning Penders the No39 shirt, though, Chelsea inadvertently revealed their plans for another new signing.

It had previously belonged to Mathis Amougou, who joined Chelsea from Saint-Etienne in January and is now set to leave the club on loan after making just two appearances.

He replaces fellow Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos, who enjoyed a hugely successful season with Strasbourg but has returned to his parent club ahead of the Club World Cup.

Amougou will not make the plane to the United States for the summer competition. The same is true of Axel Disasi, who spent the second half of the 2024-25 season on loan at Aston Villa and is set for a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge this summer.

Wesley Fofana will also miss out as he recovers from surgery.

Amougou, though, will link up with Kendry Paez upon making his move to France. The highly-rated Ecuadorian youngster signed to Chelsea from Independiente Del Valle in 2023 and has finally moved to Europe after turning 18.

He trained with Liam Rosenior’s squad earlier this summer as Chelsea hoped to help him adjust to life in Europe.

Mamadou Sarr, who signed with the Blues from Strasbourg earlier this week, will pick up Jadon Sancho’s newly vacated No19 shirt. The winger will return to Manchester United after negotiations to make his stay in West London permanent fell through.

Midfielder Dario Essugo, signed from Sporting for £18.8million, will take on the No14, formerly worn by Joao Felix. He is expected to play a role in Enzo Maresca’s Club World Cup squad.