Who is Filip Jorgensen? The goalkeeper Chelsea want to replace Petrovic

When the summer transfer window opened last month, few Chelsea fans would have predicted a new goalkeper would be a port of call for head coach Enzo Maresca. Djordje Petrovic established himself as first choice last season in the absence of Robert Sanchez and there are other priorities for the club as they look to build upon their top-six finish. Factor in that Marcus Bettinelli and Lucas Bergstrom are also in the books, and it's a position Chelsea are well stocked in.

At 24 years of age, the number one spot is Petrovic's to lose, and in theory; he has the potential to hold that role for years to come. And yet, Chelsea have been linked with a new goalkeeper. Mads Hermansen, who Maresca worked with at Leicester last season, is among those on the Stamford Bridge radar.

However, it's reports that Filip Jorgensen is top of the wishlist that should excite supporters. The 22-year-old was instrumental in Villarreal's top half finish last season as he made more saves (143) than any other goalkeeper in La Liga. It's not the first time Jorgensen has been linked with a Premier League switch, with the likes of Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal among those to have courted the young shotstopper in recent months.

The youngster has quickly amassed a number of potential suitors having shone in his breakout campaign for the Yellow Submarine with Chelsea now seriously considering a move for Jorgensen. However, Villarreal won't be pressured into selling the goalkeeper on the cheap, with Jorgensen putting pen to paper on a five-year deal with a £34m release clause last month. You can be sure the Spanish side will demand that fee is paid in full if they are to cash in. 

So why are Chelsea looking to swap Petrovic for Jorgensen? Both are reliable shotstoppers who impressed for their respective sides last season. Yet with Maresca at the helm, he'll have been watching the former and concluded he is keen on signing a goalkeeper who is better with their feet. That's not to say Petrovic is a poor distributor, but rather Chelsea can land a goalkeeper who'll help progress play upfield to a higher standard. 

You only have to look at Hermansen's performances for Leicester under Maresca last season to appreciate the importance of a goalkeeper who is good with their feet. Indeed, the Foxes had the second highest possession share (62.2%) in the Championship last season with the young Dane key to their dominance. The 24-year-old returned a pass success rate of 83.1% from an average of 44.7 passes per 90, all the while averaging a respectable 4.3 accurate long balls per 90. 

By comparison, Petrovic managed a 76.4% pass success rate from 32 passes per 90 and 4.2 accurate long balls per 90, while Jorgensen returned respective figures of 78%, 31.2 and 4.9. What stands out most, though, is that the latter had a superior long ball success rate at 42.6% compared to Hermansen (38%) and Petrovic (35.9%). It's the latter figure that is the key here.  

With the added onus on goalkeepers to act as an 11th outfielder in the modern game, this will prove one of the reasons why Chelsea are weighing up the possibility of signing Jorgensen. Petrovic may be a solid short passer, but the Villarreal star is the superior progressive passer, which is all the more impressive when you consider the La Liga outfit returned a lower possession return (49.3%) than Chelsea (59%) in their respective leagues last season. 

This ability to pick out a teammate from distance meant Villarreal finished third for counter-attacking goals (6) in La Liga last season, double that of Chelsea (3) in England's top tier. Maresca would no doubt look to capitalise on this long-range distribution as a means to hurting opponents. 

In terms of overall shotstopping, there is little to separate both Jorgensen and Petrovic but where there is a chance to improve upon an area to gain a marginal advantage over an opponent, then teams will take this chance. That's not to say Petrovic has done anything wrong to warrant being ousted as first choice at Stamford Bridge but his position, like nigh-on everyone else's at the club, was always at risk when Maresca took charge. 

Even with Jorgensen regarded as a developing goalkeeper with high potential, the choice to consider a move for the Villarreal man won't have come lightly. However, the greater consistency with which he finds a teammate could prove a decisive factor in the final decision to make a move for Jorgensen in the coming weeks.