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Posted on August 27, 2023 at 2:03 p.m. by
George Boxall
Petrovic Chelsea ©️IMAGO / Icon Sportswire
Chelsea sign Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic from New England Revolution
The Chelsea Football Club again made waves in the transfer market by announcing the acquisition of the Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic coming from New England Revolution. The 23-year-old goalkeeper’s arrival comes with a price tag of around 16 million euros, which is the highest transfer fee ever paid for a goalkeeper from the MLS.
This transfer consolidates the ranks of the guardians of Chelsea and provides quality reinforcement to the recent Robert Sanchezwho joined the club from Brighton earlier this summer for a reported €23 million. Petrovic, a Cukaricki Belgrade native who made his professional debut in 2019, traveled to the United States in April 2022 to join the New England Revolution. There, he perfectly assumed the functions of goalkeeper of Matt Turnerleave to Arsenal. The impressive performance of Petrovic quickly earned him recognition across the Atlantic, including being crowned MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022.
Support for Sanchez or a first choice?
From the height of his imposing height of 6 feet 4 inches (194 cm), Petrovic possesses exceptional shot-stopping abilities (he leads MLS in save percentage in 2023), solid control of his penalty area and skill in distributing the ball with his feet. His skills earned him two calls to the national team for the Serbiawith his debut coming in January 2021 and his second cap in January 2023. Although he was included in the recent Euro 2024 qualifying camp, Petrovic remained on the bench throughout the competition.
Expressing his excitement, Petrovic said: “It has always been my dream to sign with one of the biggest clubs in the world. Today I achieved that goal and I couldn’t be happier. His sentiment was transcribed in a presentation video published by Chelsea. Petrovic thus becomes the second Serbian goalkeeper in the history of Chelsea, following in the footsteps of Petar Borota, who represented the club between 1979 and 1982. Petrovic expressed his admiration for Borota, calling him “a legend in Serbia”. Also, he was revealed to be a fan of the former keeper of Chelsea Thibaut Courtois, who wore the colors of Chelsea from 2014 to 2018.
2023-08-27 12:06:05
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