Chelsea talent is a mix of “Courtois and Ederson” – but won’t be ready for first team for years | OneFootball

With the international break now in session, everyone’s wondering what to write about as Chelsea news fades from prominence for a brief period.

The Athletic had a great idea – a deep dive on someone we hear a lot about, without knowing a huge amount about – Mike Penders, the gigantic teenage goalkeeper we signed a year ago.

After a year spent back on loan at Genk in Belgium where he came through the ranks, Penders is expected to come to Chelsea this summer, at least for preseason. There Enzo Maresca and the other coaches will be able to see how close they think he is to being ready to play in the first team.

The piece in the Athletic spoke to a few experts on what they made of that question. Matt Pyzdrowski, a goalkeeping coach for Malmo, had some interesting thoughts.

He said the goalkeepers he was reminded of by Penders are “Courtois and Ederson.”

“He’s kind of a mix of the two.”

That’s high praise. That is probably the best goalkeeper on his line and the best with the ball at his feet in the world. His long passing is excellent, although he can be “stressed” by getting pressed.

“Project” Penders likely not ready for Chelsea first team for some time

Mike Penders after his debut for Genk.

So how close is Penders to being ready to play for Chelsea? We have been assuming he will take at least another year on loan before he’s even considered. Pyzdrowski admits that the Belgian is still a “project” with plenty of areas to improve in.

“If he gets game time and works on his deficiencies, it’s not hard to see him being one of the best goalkeepers in the world in a few years,” the coach concluded.