Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has strongly criticized the club’s goalkeeper transfer strategy, calling it fundamentally flawed.
Cole condemned Chelsea’s unusual approach to recruiting goalkeepers, arguing that their policy is not one to be admired. He questioned how a club could have as many as nine goalkeepers yet still be searching for a clear first-choice option.
Currently, Chelsea’s first-team squad includes four goalkeepers: 27-year-old Robert Sanchez, 22-year-old Flip Jorgensen, Lucas Bergstrom (22), and Marcus Bettinelli (32).
Beyond these, the club has two senior goalkeepers out on loan—Djordje Petrovic (25, at Strasbourg) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (30, at Bournemouth). Additionally, 19-year-old Mike Penders from Genk is set to join Chelsea in July 2025.
Speaking on The Dressing Room podcast via Chelsea.news, Cole criticized his former club’s handling of the goalkeeping situation:
“There’s something systemically wrong because you can’t have nine goalkeepers on your books and still not know who your number one is.”
“You’ve got Kepa out on loan, Petrovic out on loan, and you’ve signed young, promising goalkeepers. If your system works properly, you shouldn’t be making this many mistakes with goalkeepers.”
