The Chelsea fanbase seems divided when it comes to the club’s need to bring in a new goalkeeper. Some believe that it is worth sticking with Robert Sanchez for the time being. He was brilliant in the first half of the season. Yes, he did lose his way for a few months and started making mistakes again, which led to him being dropped. But at the top of his game, he has shown he can be a world-class goalkeeper.
Then, there are those who point out that Sanchez is not great with the ball at his feet. But [Xabi Alonso](https://readchelsea.com/2026/06/01/what-xabi-alonso-marc-cucurella-leaving-chelsea/) likes his goalkeeper to play out from the back. So, that could lead to mistakes and the Spaniard losing his confidence again.
The Mike Penders factor cannot be overlooked either. He is considered by some as the ‘next Thibaut Courtois’. Of course, there are obvious reasons to make that comparison even without ever seeing him play. He is a 6’7″ Belgian goalkeeper who came through the ranks at Genk before being signed by Chelsea after all. But he is a phenomenal goalie in his own right. Some are pushing for him to be the starter from next season, others feel he should have a backup role for a year or two and also those who think he needs to continue on loan at a club where game time is guaranteed.
Amid all this, it looks like another goalkeeper is on Chelsea’s radar. According to Canal Plus (via [Get French Football News](https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2026/newcastle-target-ewen-jaouen-visits-chelseas-facilities/)), Chelsea are also making a move for Ewen Jaouen, who has visited the club’s facilities.
While Jaouen is not a household name in European football, he is drawing high level interest. The report states that Real Madrid want him. Newcastle United are also believed to be interested. And Reims would want around €25 million for the French youth international.
It is not hard to see why Jaouen might be drawing interest. At 20 years of age, he is already a regular starter for Reims. He made 60 appearances last season.
But then, there are also areas where he needs to work on. And with Chelsea already having Penders in their ranks, one has to question if they need to go out and spend another €25 million to sign Jaouen.
Firstly, Jaouen has not even played top-level football yet. Reims are currently in Ligue 2. Just that should be enough to make Chelsea reconsider any plans to sign him, especially when the transfer fee mentioned is €25 million.
I can understand that he is talented and has a ton of potential. But Chelsea have signed plenty of such players in recent times. It has rarely panned out as well as they would have hoped.
Some of the underlying numbers are not as impressive as you would imagine either. Yes, Jaouen has kept more clean sheets than anyone in Ligue 2. But then, he has a save percentage of 67%, which is average.
Also, while facing an xGOT of 32.61, Jaouen has conceded 35 times. So, he has 2.39 more goals than he should have. That number does not suggest that he is a phenomenal shot-stopper, at least when it comes to being consistent.
Thirdly, Jaouen does not seem elite with the ball at his feet by any means. He has put up decent overall numbers but the efficiency is missing. The Frenchman completes 72.6% of his passes, which puts him in the 65th percentile. He also completed 33.1% of his long balls, which puts him in the 35th percentile. And perhaps most importantly, he made two errors leading to goals this season.
So, taking all of this into account, it simply does not feel like a move that Chelsea should make. At least not this summer, when so many other areas are in need of reinforcements. It has all the signs of a BlueCo signing destined to not work out.