Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made contact to sign Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders, as per TEAMtalk.
The 20-year-old initially joined the Blues from Belgian side KRC Genk a couple of years ago, but he stayed at Cegeka Arena last term. This season, he has been on loan at Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg.
In 35 appearances across all competitions, the youngster has kept eight clean sheets with a 70% save rate. Moreover, he has been helping his side push for a European place finish.
The Belgian has also guided the French side to reach the Conference League last 16 and Coupe de France semi-final.
Now, TEAMtalk claim that Tottenham are interested in revamping the goalkeeping department and have identified Penders as a serious option after being impressed by his recent eye-catching performances.
They have already made contact to learn about the details of signing him. However, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Nottingham Forest are also interested in him and have also enquired over a potential swoop.
The report, however, state that Chelsea have no intention of letting Penders leave, as they are planning to bring him back in the summer to make him the first-choice goalkeeper.
Penders’ potential move
Liam Rosenior hasn’t been impressed by Robert Sanchez. So he decided to drop the Spaniard in the midweek victory over Aston Villa, and Filip Jorgensen got the nod.
Having previously worked with Penders at Strasbourg, Rosenior knows the Belgian very well and is ready to reunite with his former colleague at Stamford Bridge.
The West London club’s goalkeeping scout, Ben Roberts, has even been pushing his side to make Penders the first-choice goalkeeper next season.
Penders is a 6ft 7in tall left-footed goalkeeper. He is a good shot-stopper, comfortable playing out from the back, good in the air and is efficient in the sweeper-keeper role.
Tottenham currently have Guglielmo Vicario as the first-choice goalkeeper, but he has displayed inconsistent performances this season. So, it has been suggested that the Lilywhites want to upgrade the last line of defence.
However, Spurs have surprisingly found themselves in a relegation scrap and would have to keep hold of their top-flight status to sign top-class talents during the offseason.
