Chelsea are considering moves for Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen, Parma’s Zion Suzuki and Atalanta’s Marco Carnesecchi as the Blues look to sign a new No.1 goalkeeper, according to reports.
TBRFootball claim the trio are under consideration, with the club prioritising a bid for someone who is good with the ball at his feet.
Verbruggen has been on Chelsea’s radar for several years. He was targeted even before he made the switch to Brighton at the start of last season.
Suzuki, meanwhile, was heavily linked with Manchester United prior to his moves to Sint-Truiden (on loan) and Parma.
Carnesecchi has impressed after becoming Atalanta’s first choice ahead of Pierluigi Gollini. Arsenal have been mentioned as a potential suitor over the past few months. However, the Gunners are only looking for a No.2 so the Italian international would probably prefer a transfer to Stamford Bridge if he decides to leave his current team.
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Maresca wants a sweeper keeper
Speaking after the 4-0 win over Southampton midweek, head coach Enzo Maresca said he had made it clear in no uncertain terms to Filip Jorgensen that he wanted him to play the ball out from the back:
“My message to Filip was, ‘If you play long ball, I will change you’ so he was just doing what I said to him.”
Which Chelsea target is the most accurate with the ball at his feet?
Considering the emphasis that Maresca is placing on kicking, it is important to compare the three summer targets in terms of their passing accuracy.
Verbruggen has the best completion ratio (77.1%) out of the three, with Carnesecchi (73.3%) second and Suzuki third (66.5%). All are, however, quite some way off Manchester City’s Ederson, who is regarded as the best in the world when it comes to kicking. The Brazilian’s pass completion percentage this season is 86.6%.
Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here