OFFICIAL: Chelsea loan Djordje Petrovic to Strasbourg

Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has joined sister club Strasbourg on loan.

The Blues have officially axed last season’s starting goalkeeper. Petrovic has completed a season-long loan to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg after being told by coach Enzo Maresca that he would lose his place to Robert Sanchez.

Chelsea have also signed Filip Jorgensen as competition for Sanchez, with Petrovic being deemed a poor fit for Maresca’s style, which requires a goalkeeper capable and confident with the ball at his feet.

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Petrovic has become the latest Chelsea player shipped out to the Alsatian side, with Andrey Santos and Caleb Wiley having already joined on loan, while Diego Moreira was sold to the club. The latter deal was initially reported as being worth €2 million before French media began claiming that €8m had actually been paid.

Additionally, the Blues are reportedly in talks over a controversial permanent deal for Deivid Washington that would see Strasbourg break their transfer record on a player with 25 senior Chelsea minutes.

Strasbourg sign Petrovic

All these transfers won’t go down well with the Strasbourg fans, who have frequently protested against BlueCo’s ownership of the club. The Petrovic deal may, however, be more forgivable.

The Serb showed last season that he can be a top-class goalkeeper at Premier League level, so the Alsatian side are getting a brilliant shot-stopper.

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The 24-year-old is joining the club to immediately become the starting goalkeeper. Strasbourg threw young Alaa Bellaarouch into the deep end in the winter after selling Matz Sels to Nottingham Forest and the 22-year-old struggled to cope with the pressure, making the signing of a new No.1 imperative.

What happens with Petrovic after his loan is anyone’s guess. If he continues his good form, he will have no shortage of suitors, but his Chelsea career already looks over just a year after joining – unless Enzo Maresca becomes the latest victim of the trigger-happy club hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.