Who is Filip Jorgensen? The Villarreal goalkeeper wanted by Chelsea

Jacque Talbot

Updated: 25 Jul 2024 09:49 BST
5 min read

Chelsea has submitted a bid of £17 million, along with additional performance-based incentives, to sign Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.

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The club aims to bolster its goalkeeping roster and the 22-year-old goalkeeper is keen to join Chelsea, where he would compete for the starting position with current first-choice keeper Robert Sanchez.

Though the club had initially decided not to bring in another goalkeeper, Enzo Maresca pushed for another one to be brought in.

Last season, Jorgensen was Villarreal's primary goalkeeper, featuring in 37 matches across all competitions, and it now appears he will be heading to Stamford Bridge

But just who is Jorgensen and how will his ability help Chelsea?

What position does Filip Jorgensen play?

Jorgensen is a ball-playing goalkeeper.

How good is Filip Jorgensen?

The modern game asks goalkeepers to do more than stop shots, they must excel in ball distribution and be comfortable stepping out of their penalty area too.

Jorgensen joined Villarreal's youth setup in 2017 and was developed with a focus on their possession-based style of play.

The Swede was promoted to Villarreal's first team in 2023 but it wasn't until last season that he became a regular starter.

In the 2023/24 term. he faced 181 shots saving 127 of them, but has also conceded 54 goals.

Owing to Villarreal's defensive frailties, he faces an average of 5.2 shots per 90 minutes, saving around 3.66 shots per game, the most of any goalkeeper in La Liga last season.

Against goalkeepers in the division, he was ranked second for prevented goals (PSxG-GA) and third for defensive duels.

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Jorgensen ranks highly in winning aerial duels, too, but his real strengths lies in his passing range. He boasts an impressive 99% accuracy for short passes and 62% for long passes.

The numbers pinpoint why Maresca wants him in, competing with Sanchez for the No.1 spot. But it also indicates the freedom that the Blues' recruitment team are offering to the Italian coach this summer window.