Chelsea stars face 'culture shock' as Maresca makes big transfer decision

Tom Weber

Updated: 30 May 2024 10:22 CDT
3 min read

New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will look to sign a goalkeeper more suited to his style, according to a report.

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The Italian's arrival as the new head coach of Chelsea is only a matter of time and transfer planning has already started behind the scenes. The former Leicester boss has a couple of areas he needs to fix in the Blues' squad and one of them is the goalkeeping department.

Despite Chelsea signing two shot-stoppers under Mauricio Pochettino last summer, the expectation is that they could conceivably dip into the market for a new number one yet again.

According to Ben Jacobs, Maresca and company are not convinced that Chelsea's current options, Djordje Petrovic and Robert Sanchez, are good enough, particularly in possession, to play the 44-year-old's style.

Indeed, Jacobs reports that many Leicester players experienced something of a 'culture shock' - in a beneficial sense - when Maresca took charge there last summer and something similar could very well occur at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea's targets

According to the journalist, Chelsea are one of several clubs keeping tabs on Villarreal's Filip Jorgensen. The Dane, however, is also a target for Newcastle.

Additionally, the Blues are once again being associated with Valencia's Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Georgian goalkeeper is one of LaLiga's best in his position and was already linked with the west London giants this time last year.

Though the 23-year-old has a €100 million release clause, it is thought that Valencia may be willing to sell for less. The likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Jordan Pickford have also been linked with Chelsea in recent weeks, but Jacobs makes no mention of them.

Despite all of the above, Jacobs also reports that Maresca praised current Chelsea number one Petrovic during recent talks.