[Chelsea](https://chelseanews.com/) have quite the collection of young stars waiting to become superstars, and while wingers Estevao Willian and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens basked in the glory of a 4-3 win over Wolves in the League Cup, the most impressive Blues player of the week may not have even been on the current first team.
Goalkeeper Mike Penders is surely going to be the Chelsea No. 1 at this time next season with the way things are going, as he is thoroughly outplaying the current Chelsea keepers while on loan at Strabsourg.
According to stats from FBREF’s Stathead uncovered by the magazine SCOUTED Football, Penders had a very Manuel Neuer-esque game for Strasbourg in their comfortable 3-0 win over Auxerre.
Not only did Penders notch a clean sheet, he also became the first keeper in the top leagues this season to record at least 45 passes and at least five defensive actions in single game.
He is the first young goalkeeper in nearly a decade to record this stat line, and the goalkeeper who most frequently replicates this feat is none other than Manuel Neuer, the literal GOAT who redefined how this position is played over the past 15 years.
Penders is an all-around monster. He saves, he commands his box, he is great on the ball, and he can take it away from the opponents as a sweeper. At just 20 years old, Penders is showing no glaring weaknesses and putting up Neuer-esque numbers. Chelsea 100 percent knocked it out of the park here.
Joe Soriano is the editor of _The Trivela Effect_ and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like _The Real Champs_ (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage _NFL Spin Zone_ and _Daily DDT,_ covering the NFL and pro wrestling.