All change at Chelsea as director reveals transfer plan

Tom Weber

Updated: 2 Apr 2025 10:18 CDT
4 min read

Genk director Dimitri de Conde has announced his intention to keep Chelsea signing Mike Penders at the club for another season.

The Blues surprisingly signed the Belgian youth international last summer in a deal that came completely out of the blue. Chelsea agreed to shell out a whopping €20 million on the goalkeeper, even though he only had two senior appearances to his name.

Article continues under the video

Current ETV

Mike Penders

Genk

Mike Penders

Genk

ETV Range

€6.8M - €9.3M

Penders remained with Genk for the season as Chelsea also signed Filip Jorgensen last summer, so there was no immediate need for another shot-stopper.

However, the goalkeeper department has given the Stamford Bridge club major headaches this season. Designated No.1 Robert Sanchez has made a string of high-profile errors, while Jorgensen also made a dreadful howler when given a chance against Aston Villa recently.

There have been major question marks as to how Chelsea will handle the situation in the summer. It has been claimed that the Blues will not sign a new goalkeeper and will instead let Sanchez and Jorgensen fight it out for the No.1 spot with returning loanees Djordje Petrovic and Penders.

Penders to stay at Genk?

However, it seems that it is far from set in stone yet that coach Enzo Maresca will be able to count on Penders next term. The 19-year-old lost his place at Genk after signing for Chelsea, but he returned between the sticks in January.

Last month, he bluntly stated that he wants to play regularly next season and that it doesn't matter to him where. “Whether it’s another year in Genk, elsewhere or already at Chelsea, we’ll see. I obviously want to play next season, that’s the most important thing for me,” he said.

Now, Genk director Dimitri de Conde has announced that his club want to keep Penders for another season, which could completely change Chelsea's goalkeeper plans.

“We would like Penders to stay with us for another year. But that doesn’t depend on Genk. It does depend on Chelsea,” he De Conde said. “The agreement is that he will go to Chelsea next season. Chelsea will see if Mike can play a significant role next season.

"I know he wants to play. Chelsea also thinks he should play. So never say never. We have not discussed it with Mike yet. It is still too early for that. Our focus is now on the playoffs. After the competition, it will soon become clear which direction it is going."