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Chelsea has continued its trend of spending big under owner Todd Boehly with the signing of Djordje Petrovic from the New England Revolution. The initial bid for the 23-year-old Serbian goalkeeper was rejected, but Chelsea came back with an offer of €16m, which was accepted by the MLS club. This is a record transfer fee for both the New England Revolution and an MLS goalkeeper.
Petrovic tried to force his way out of the club on MLS deadline day in August and sat out training. However, the New England Revolution held firm and were able to keep the highly valued goalkeeper. His market value increased to €6m as part of a recent MLS update, making him briefly the most valuable goalkeeper in the league. Transfermarkt felt that Chelsea‘s evaluation of the player was too high.
This is not the first time Chelsea has signed a goalkeeper from an MLS club. Last year, they signed Gabriel Slonina from the Chicago Fire in a deal worth over €9m, making it the current record deal for a goalkeeper leaving MLS. Chelsea has since loaned Slonina to KAS Eupen in the Jupiler Pro League. Additionally, Kepa Arrizabalaga left Chelsea for Real Madrid this month.
Despite signing Robert Sánchez from Brighton, Chelsea still feels they lack depth at the goalkeeper position. The only other two goalkeepers at the club are Marcus Bettinelli and Lucas Bergström, neither of whom are proven starters. As a result, Chelsea has been eager to bring in another goalkeeper.
Petrovic has become one of the best goalkeepers in MLS since joining the New England Revolution in 2022. He has increased his market value from €1.2m to €3.5m and has performed exceptionally well, collecting 14 clean sheets in 43 MLS regular season games. He ranks second in the league for saves made and sixth for catches. Petrovic is known for his communication skills and willingness to venture far from his line to intercept crosses and break up counterattacks.
Overall, Petrovic is an incredibly talented goalkeeper who has the potential to meet his high price tag. Chelsea‘s willingness to spend big on him reflects their desire to strengthen their goalkeeper position and compete at the highest level.
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