Filip Jorgensen to Chelsea: The lowdown on the Blues' new ball-playing goalkeeper

The West London giants paid just north of £20m to bring the 22-year-old to Stamford Bridge, where he has signed a seven-year contract until the summer of 2031 and is now the seventh shot-stopper in Enzo Maresca's ranks.

Jorgensen will be expected to scrap with Djordje Petrovic and Robert Sanchez for the right to wear the number one jersey next season, and he is already with Maresca's squad in the USA as he gets acclimatised to life at Chelsea.

Here, Sports Mole provides everything you need to know about Jorgensen, from his background to notable strengths and weaknesses.

Filip Jorgensen background

Born in the Swedish locality of Lomma - a small town with under 15,000 inhabitants - to a Danish father and Swedish mother, Jorgensen began his footballing journey with local club GIF Nike before joining one of Sweden's top outfits as a schoolboy.

Jorgensen was just six years old when he signed up to Malmo's youth academy in 2008, although he quickly left his homeland behind to forge a successful career in Spain, spending time with Mallorca and Penya Arrabal before joining Villarreal's ranks in 2015.

The goalkeeper settled in Eastern Spain, and even before making his first-team debut for Villarreal, he collected a Europa League winners' medal as part of their 2020-21 winning troupe, making the bench on six occasions.

Jorgensen's baptism arrived in the 2021-22 Copa del Rey, before a handful of appearances in domestic and continental competition the following season, but Geronimo Rulli's exit to Ajax opened the door to regular first-team football.

Indeed, the 2023-24 season saw Jorgensen become Villarreal's La Liga number one with 36 appearances, although his numbers were nothing to write home about, with six clean sheets and 63 goals conceded.

Jorgensen was also forced to watch most of Villarreal's Europa League campaign from the bench, as the veteran Pepe Reina guarded the sticks in UEFA's second-tier competition.

Filip Jorgensen style of play

A goalkeeper suited down to the ground to the modern game, Jorgensen is your typical ball-playing shot-stopper and has displayed incredible composure and competence with the ball at his feet while playing for Villarreal.

Look out for the 22-year-old to spray inch-perfect passes out to Chelsea's wide men, as well as maybe taking a risk or two when an attacker is closing in, and he is usually decisive when rushing out of his box too.

Agility and reactions are two of Jorgensen's strongest areas when it comes to shot-stopping - a goalkeeper's bread and butter - but when it comes to handling, there is significant room for improvement for the Scandinavian.

Jorgensen often struggles to hold onto shots and can only deflect the ball back into the danger area, allowing a quick-thinking attacker a shot at finishing the rebound, which can sometimes make for some eye-catching double saves.

On the other hand, Jorgensen's catching problems can lead to a simple tap-in for a well-positioned striker, although he tends to have a better time of things when coming out to meet crosses.

Filip Jorgensen international experience

Eligible to play for both Sweden and Denmark, Jorgensen initially sported the blue and yellow of the former at youth level, before deciding that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of the Schmeichels.

Jorgensen played a handful of matches for Sweden at Under-16 and Under-17 level before switching allegiance, and he has since been a regular presence in between the sticks for Denmark's Under-21s.

The 22-year-old boasts four clean sheets from 11 matches at that level, but he is yet to compete at a major international tournament, only competing in Euros qualifiers and international friendlies so far.

Jorgensen's Villarreal breakthrough did not lead to a first senior call-up for Euro 2024 - Kasper Schmeichel, Fredrik Ronnow and Mads Hermansen formed Denmark's goalkeeping troupe in Germany - but should he quickly nail down a starting role at Chelsea, it will only be a matter of time before he enters the conversation, especially with Schmeichel turning 38 this year.