Chelsea is set to sign 22-year-old Danish goalkeeper Jorgensen for £20.7 million, with a seven-year contract expected to keep him at the club until 2031. The Denmark Under-21 international has been targeted by Chelsea’s new head coach, Enzo Maresca, who is looking for a goalkeeper adept at playing out from the back.
Jorgensen is expected to compete for the starting goalkeeper position and will likely join Chelsea’s squad for their U.S. tour. His signing raises questions about the future of Đorđe Petrović, who stepped in as the first-choice goalkeeper when Robert Sánchez was injured last season.
Sánchez, discussing the increased competition after Chelsea’s preseason draw with Wrexham, emphasized his confidence and dedication to training hard, despite the potential arrival of another goalkeeper.
Enzo Maresca, a protégé of Pep Guardiola, prioritizes a goalkeeper with strong ball-playing skills—often referred to as a sweeper-keeper. This type of goalkeeper is essential for Maresca’s style of play, which focuses on using the goalkeeper to initiate attacks and create space on the field. Maresca previously implemented this strategy at Leicester City, where he brought in Mads Hermansen as the first-choice goalkeeper.
Hermansen had one of the lowest average pass lengths and launch rates (long passes) among goalkeepers in the Championship during the 2023/24 season, highlighting his role in playing a possession-based game.
Jorgensen, eligible to represent Denmark and Sweden at the senior international level, fits this profile well. Last season, he completed 875 passes in La Liga, ranking third among goalkeepers in Spain’s top division.
He also had 1,528 touches and a 77.99% passing accuracy, demonstrating his ability to play with the ball at his feet. Although his passing stats per 90 minutes were lower than those of Sánchez and Petrović in the Premier League, his accuracy was slightly better than Petrović’s.
Jorgensen, who joined Villarreal at the age of 11 and has been with the club since 2015, had a standout season last year.
He played in 36 of Villarreal’s 38 league games, kept six clean sheets, and made 143 saves—more than any other goalkeeper in the league.
He also caught 29 crosses and made 16 punched clearances. However, Chelsea’s interest in Jorgensen is not primarily due to his shot-stopping abilities, which Maresca considers a bonus. The main attraction is his skill in distribution and playing a proactive role in the team’s overall strategy.
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