Chelsea's Newest Star? Meet The On-Loan Blue Flying In France

Chelsea's Newest Star? Meet The On-Loan Blue Flying In France

The Chelsea goalkeeper discussion feels like it has been raving on forever now - as a fan of the club, I can see why; in fact, almost anyone can - the bottom line is that neither Robert Sanchez nor Filip Jorgensen is fit to wear the number one shirt for the biggest club in London (not sorry, Arsenal fans).

How we have managed to win both a Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League with what can only be described as wardrobes with arms in the net, I will never know - Sanchez couldn’t even secure the number one shirt at Brighton, and Jorgensen has been a liability ever since arriving last summer.

Exposing Robert Sanchez's worst mistakes at Chelsea Football Club.

A thread. pic.twitter.com/TzzVDLghBk

— Dennoh (@CFC_dennoh) January 25, 2025

However, over in France, there are increasingly heavy hints that Chelsea’s goalkeeping conundrum could be put to rest sooner rather than later, thanks to a certain Strasbourg loanee that is currently making the French top flight look like a training exercise.

New ‘Keeper Pending …?

Meet Mike Penders - he is 20 years old, of Belgian nationality, and quite fittingly, is being labelled as the next Thibaut Courtois. Now, that may sound like some unrealistic hype for someone barely out of school, but you’ll just have to bear with me.

Bought by Chelsea for an undisclosed fee (rumoured to be around £17 million) from Belgian giants Genk in the summer of 2024, little fanfare was lent to the move - Penders was simply another young investment victim to the new Clearlake consortium spending spree, which had been labelled as “scattergun” at best.

🔵🇧🇪 Official, confirmed. Chelsea have completed deal for Mike Penders as Belgian GK joins in July 2025.

Deal done weeks ago with Genk for €20m package as revealed, now made official and formally sealed.

2005 born GK will stay at Genk on loan this season. pic.twitter.com/ZZ6E0zh4JE

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 27, 2024

It was a strange move at the time, as across the entire 2023/24 campaign, he only kept three clean sheets, a tally which for a Belgian juggernaut in a league they typically walk all over was not an impressive one. Still, upon signing the youngster, Chelsea loaned him straight back to his parent club in the hopeful bid that, in familiar surroundings, Penders could kick on with his development.
The signing of Penders came a full year after Chelsea’s acquisition of Sanchez, who, despite failing to make regular starts for Brighton and Hove Albion, quickly walked into the Chelsea first eleven. He quickly made a host of high-profile errors that saw his new side teeter dangerously close to the form of 2022/23, when they finished a dismal 12th.

Although Cole Palmer announced himself as one of the finest young prospects on the planet to save Chelsea’s bacon, fans quickly became increasingly antsy about Sanchez’ inconsistency, and subsequently, Penders suddenly came under increased focus from his new supporters.

And they liked what they saw: 6 ft 6 in in height, a wingspan to match that of a private jet, and a confidence that belied his youth, it quickly became clear that loaning the then teenager back to Belgium had been the right choice.

🌎🔎 Only one goalkeeper in the world ranks in the 80+ percentile for save %, aerials won, passes completed, and long pass %

🇧🇪 Mike Penders (Genk → Chelsea → Strasbourg, 19)

🎖️ 95th percentile for passes completed
🎖️ 88th percentile for prevented goals
🎖️ 87th percentile for… pic.twitter.com/XcIYQhd3Hs

— DataMB (@DataMB_) July 22, 2025

In 21 Belgian Pro League fixtures, Penders conceded just 19 goals, and though the defence in front of him limited the keeper to six clean sheets, there was no doubting his shot-stopping ability. He also showed himself to be very capable with the ball at his feet, a trait for which Sanchez has come under near-constant fire for.

The stage was set for Pender to make a case for Chelsea’s number one shirt.

A Make-or-Break Season

Returning from Belgium with the backing of virtually every Chelsea fan on social media, Penders was tipped to challenge Sanchez and Jorgensen for a place in the senior team, a chance boosted by the summer departure of Djordje Petrovic to Bournemouth.

However, Enzo Maresca wanted to give Penders an extra season away in order to ensure he was ready to step between the sticks at Stamford Bridge - to introduce him too early could have catastrophic consequences.

🚨🔵 All formal steps are completed for Mike Penders to leave Chelsea on loan and join RC Strasbourg.

Up next: Kendry Páez. 🇪🇨 pic.twitter.com/oMUXTVJPZy

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 21, 2025

As a result, Penders was shipped off to Chelsea’s sister team in France, RC Strasbourg Alsace, a side that has been making waves on the French football scene over the last couple of years. Thanks to the attention he garnered with his performances at Genk, Penders has been under intense scrutiny all season from Chelsea fans as well as those further afield.

The current campaign mars Penders’ first season in one of Europe’s top five leagues, and naturally there was curiosity surrounding how well he would perform - after all, the finishing in Ligue 1 is far superior to that in the Belgian Pro League.

Few expected him to fail, but the manner in which he has surpassed expectations has been quite sensational - he sits second in the clean sheet standings with five to his name. The keeper ahead of him? Well, of course it’s PSG’s Lucas Chevalier, a good keeper by all regards, but significantly protected by a world-class backline.

Penders has not been afforded the same luxury and has had to scratch, claw and fight for every one of those clean sheets. Both he and Chevalier boast the same average save percentage (64.5%), but this figure tells just half of the story.

Mike Penders is magic 🪄 pic.twitter.com/VtlYoMYUS7

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) September 21, 2025

Because Penders is not simply your average shot-stopper; his approach in possession has the potential to revolutionise the game, having been seen only a handful of times before.

Out of possession he is to be found in his 18-yard box, very much as the average football fan would expect. But in possession, he resembles a fan running onto the pitch to get an autograph with an outfield player; such is the distance between him and his box.

He effectively slots into a centre-back role on the ball, offering an extra option at the back, while also allowing one of his teammates to stray further forward in order to join the attack. And he is not doing this simply at the manager’s request - he thrives in this role.

Against Lyon back in late October, Penders became the first goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues to record 45+ passes and 5+ defensive actions outside of his area in a single game - he arguably spent more time helping out his centre backs than standing between the posts!

Mike Penders did a Manuel Neuer impression against Olympique Lyonnais.

The Belgian became the first goalkeeper across Europe’s Big Five Leagues to complete 45+ Passes and record 5+ Defensive Actions Outside of the Penalty Area in a single game in 2025/26.

But the stat doesn't… pic.twitter.com/td8QApsdTm

— SCOUTED (@scoutedftbl) October 30, 2025

And it has been a recurring theme to see him occupying the patented Manuel Neuer “Sweeper Keeper” role - the Belgian takes up an advanced position, makes the right pass almost every single time, and mops up any crumbs left by his defence.

Speaking of his passing, Penders looks for all the world like Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne had a love child (not likely given their history), such is the range of his passing. His short passes are nothing special, and though he makes every single one of them, it is his long-range vision that is earning him plenty of plaudits.

99% of the time, Penders couldn’t pick up the ball, run up the pitch, and place it down any better than where it ends up from his left boot. The 20-year-old has near-alien vision for a goalkeeper, vision that only appears a handful of times in a generation - think of Ederson or Alisson, who have been the primary leaders of the goalkeeping distribution revolution.

Super Mike Penders, a modern goalkeeper 🇧🇪🧤 pic.twitter.com/8oz95SyZGg

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) October 26, 2025

The Belgian has taken Ligue 1 by storm. If this is seen as a make-or-break season for Chelsea’s future number one, then Penders can well and truly fall under the category of ‘make’ so far - with hands as big as his, it was always going to be tricky not to grab his chance.

One Eye On the Future

Though still only 20 and in the early stages of his career, Penders must keep his expectations manageable. However, with the attention and recognition he is rapidly earning, one could not blame him for having one eye on his spot at Stamford Bridge.

Robert Sanchez has proven himself an excellent shot-stopper at Stamford Bridge - his performance throughout Chelsea’s Club World Cup-winning campaign had fans second-guessing themselves and thinking they had perhaps judged him too harshly.

However, the Spaniard is never far away from his next mistake, a trait which was quickly underlined by his careless red card against Manchester United after just five minutes, costing Chelsea the game.

Robert Sanchez vs Manchester United:

5 Minutes
1 Red Card
0/2 Accurate Passes

ROBERT SANCHEZ 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/axf0LMkNTU

— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) September 20, 2025

Combining this lack of focus with his shaky distribution, it becomes clear that if they are to return to the very top of the game, the Blues need to invest in a new set of gloves.

Robert Sanchez should get ready because Mike Penders is coming for his position 🥶 pic.twitter.com/AETcAYyUr9

— (𝑭𝒂𝒏)🇧🇷✨️ (@EstevaoExtra) October 28, 2025

Fortunately, Chelsea scouts recognised Penders’ talent early, and the alleged £17 million they splashed on him has the potential to look like one of football’s greatest ever bargains in years to come.

That may sound like a lot of pressure to place on the young Belgian’s shoulders, but to be honest, with such a measly fee in the modern-day market, he is under anything but pressure. If he fails at Chelsea, it was a cheap mistake that can be easily rectified.

However, if he succeeds, it could go down as one of the club's greatest bits of transfer business. So, if you ever find yourself casting an eye over the Ligue 1 table, check out Strasbourg’s result, because you’ll soon become used to hearing Penders’ name whether you like it or not.