Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Chelsea transfer news: Club CEO critical of player's summer switch to Stamford Bridge

sportsmole.co.uk, 9 September 2024, 15:08
Villarreal CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles has questioned why goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen decided to sign for Chelsea during the summer transfer window.

Once Enzo Maresca became the new head coach of the Blues, it became apparent that he would not be keeping Djordje Petrovic as his first-choice stopper.

Robert Sanchez has since been promoted to the role, with Petrovic allowed to link up with fellow BlueCo-owned club Strasbourg on a season-long loan deal.

With the Serbia international out of the picture from the outset, Chelsea identified Jorgensen as their chosen alternative.

The Denmark Under-21 international subsequently penned a seven-year contract with the Premier League side after Villarreal accepted a £20m proposal.

'Jorgensen exit was rushed'

Despite having impressed in La Liga during 2023-24, the 22-year-old was not expected to immediately dislodge Sanchez from his position between the sticks.

In fact, Jorgensen being presented with two starts in the Europa Conference League playoff against Servette was realistically the best that he could hope for, barring an injury or sending off involving Sanchez.

Nevertheless, speaking to AS, Roig feels that there was no need for Jorgensen to depart the Yellow Submarine at that point in his career.

He said: "The truth is that we didn't want to sell Alex (Sorloth) or Filip. It was clear to us that we had to make some sales, we didn't foresee those, but in the end it happened because both players were willing to leave and the offers were attractive enough to accept.

"In both cases we followed the will of the player, we wouldn't have sold them otherwise. We knew that there would have to be a sale this summer, but not just those two. We didn't know that.

"We didn't expect to sell Jorgensen so soon, let alone this year. We knew about his enormous potential and we thought he would leave, but not now. Honestly, and I have made this clear to him and his entourage, I think Jorgensen rushed his decision.

"He had room for improvement and growth here, but his departure was his will. We did not intend to make that sale, but it has happened because he is a great goalkeeper for the present and the future and with qualities that can make him one of the most important goalkeepers in Europe."

Can Jorgensen expect further outings in short term?

Maresca has already indicated that Jorgensen will be provided with opportunities in the Conference League and the EFL Cup.

Chelsea play host to Barrow in the EFL Cup third round on September 24, while their first Conference League group-stage fixture is against Gent on October 3.

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dundee Utd vs. Celtic (Sunday, 12.00pm) Celtic, looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, will travel to Tannadice Park on Sunday afternoon to face Dundee United. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton vs. Chelsea (Sunday, 2.00pm) Chelsea have the chance to go top of the Premier League for a brief time at least when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk South American giants Palmeiras have reportedly sent an 'initial proposal' to Fulham for midfielder Andreas Pereira. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal fans' worst fears have been realised with Bukayo Saka substituted early with a suspected hamstring injury. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have suffered a worrying injury blow over Bukayo Saka, who appeared to pick up a hamstring problem in Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona and Arsenal are reportedly both interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, with the France Under-21s international potentially leaving Estadio Ramon next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have welcomed Ferland Mendy back into their squad for Sunday's La Liga clash with Sevilla. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Mykhailo Mudryk will be sat ringside at Oleksandr Usyk's rematch with Tyson Fury days after being suspended from football. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton have confirmed the appointment of former Roma head coach Ivan Juric as their new manager following the departure of Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United's 4-0 victory against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Portman Road ensured that they followed up their qualification for the EFL Cup semi-final with an important three points in the Premier League. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton have confirmed ex-Roma boss Ivan Juric as their new manager to replace Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest enhanced their Champions League credentials and condemned Brentford to their first home loss of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish burned some bridges with Aston Villa after taunting the club's fans following their victory over Manchester City. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A fitting final Premier League match before Christmas Day, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool engage in a battle of the behemoths in North London on Sunday afternoon. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa handed Manchester City a 2-1 defeat on Saturday, adding to the woes of Pep Guardiola's side, who have now endured nine losses in their last 12 matches. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has claimed that his side decided to defeat Manchester City "through domination" on Saturday afternoon. 21 December 2024 talksport.com "This is a crisis." 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be bidding to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome Sevilla to Bernabeu on Sunday. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have added Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk to their wishlist for the summer transfer window, according to a report.