Chelsea Showing Interest In This Experienced Keeper: What Will He Bring To Stamford Bridge? | OneFootball

In a recent report, DeichStube claimed that Chelsea are showing interest in Werder Bremen keeper Jiri Pavlenka this summer. It is understood that the Blues are eyeing the Czech Republic keeper as a cheap option to serve as a back-up to Edouard Mendy next season (via DeichStube).

Pavlenka’s Solid Season In German Football

Pavlenka has got a wealth of experience in German football and can still serve as a reliable pair of hands in top-flight football. The 29-year-old conceded 211 goals and secured 25 clean sheets in 135 appearances in the Bundesliga thus far.

The Hlucin-born talent had an impressive campaign with Werden Bremen despite being relegated with them from the German top-flight. Pavlenka made 39 appearances for the German club last season, shipping in 59 goals and earning ten clean sheets in various competitions.

The Czech Republic international performed well to average 0.9 clearances and 7.2 long balls per game in the 2020-21 Bundesliga campaign. However, he needs to work on improving his ball distribution after completing 70.4% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).

What Will Pavlenka Bring To Stamford Bridge?

Pavlenka is a vastly experienced presence in between the sticks and can use his good football IQ to sense the danger quickly and clear his lines when needed. He boasts decent reflexes and can pull off a few important saves for his team. The 14-time Czech Republic international is a solid handler of the ball as well and can use his towering 1.96m frame to dominate his penalty box. However, as mentioned earlier, he needs to take care of the ball a bit better when passing it out from the back.

A seasoned veteran like Pavlenka is more than capable of playing as Edouard Mendy’s understudy at Stamford Bridge in the coming seasons. Plus, he will be an upgrade over Kepa Arrizabalaga who has been guilty of making plenty of high-profile errors during his Chelsea career so far.

At 29, Pavlenka has still got plenty of good years left in him, so he will be a good option for the West London giants to consider in this off-season. We can expect the Czech Republic sensation to bring some healthy competition for Mendy and add some much-needed depth to Thomas Tuchel’s match-day squad.

All in all, Chelsea should think about trying everything they can to bring Pavlenka to the English capital before the start of the new campaign as he could help them compete in the domestic cup competitions in the years to come.