Liam Rosenior has recently made the tough decision to drop Robert Sanchez, with all signs pointing towards a future with Mike Penders in goal at Chelsea.
Sanchez was replaced by Filip Jorgensen for the Premier League game against Aston Villa, where he impressed to a point that it is likely he remains in goal for the FA Cup clash against Wrexham.
There is so much excitement at Stamford Bridge about the arrival of Penders at the end of the season. He is currently a regular between the sticks for Strasbourg.
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Mike Penders is ‘outstanding’ in possession, says Liam Rosenior
Rosenior already has experience working with the young Belgian from his time in charge of the Ligue 1 club, and gained publicity for how he utilised him high up the pitch when in possession.
The Blues boss has described Penders’ ability with the ball as ‘outstanding’ when asked about the youngster by Discovery.
Mike Penders of Strasbourg
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He said: “When Mike came, we realized very, very quickly that he’s an outstanding operator in possession. And what that enables you to do is it enables you to have an extra man in terms of your passing angles.
“So having him that high looks crazy because a lot of teams don’t do it, but actually gives us a lot of control where we know we probably won’t lose the ball because we have an extra passing option.”
Passing out from the back is an area where Sanchez has really let himself down throughout his career at Stamford Bridge.
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He put his teammates under real pressure against Arsenal, something that Mamadou Sarr will not have appreciated on his first Premier League start for the club.
It has been reported that Chelsea coaches are keen on Penders becoming the number one, and they will be keeping an eye on his performances in France for the rest of the season.
Strasbourg, now under the leadership of Gary O’Neil, are one of the favourites to win the Conference League, 12 months after Chelsea achieved the same feat.
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