I'm assuming with our recent reputation in the market this guys nickname will be Bigs

For those interested. Here is a link with the highlights from Jong Genk last weekend. 

Jong Genk is the youth squad from Genk. Therefore the small audience. 

That being said. He still played against an adult team as Jong Genk plays in the second division (the championship of Belgium). Which is a  competition of prof clubs with 3 youth teams. Genk being on of them. 

Penders started off playing for the 1st squad, but the coach decided that due to the negotiations with Chelsea, to play the other goalkeeper in the first team instead. Don't think this will happen much longer as Penders is clearly a few levels above. 

Having watched the entire game. Played again a good game.

 

Highlights Jong Genk last weekend.

3 hours ago, Night-T said:

For those interested. Here is a link with the highlights from Jong Genk last weekend. 

Jong Genk is the youth squad from Genk. Therefore the small audience. 

That being said. He still played against an adult team as Jong Genk plays in the second division (the championship of Belgium). Which is a  competition of prof clubs with 3 youth teams. Genk being on of them. 

Penders started off playing for the 1st squad, but the coach decided that due to the negotiations with Chelsea, to play the other goalkeeper in the first team instead. Don't think this will happen much longer as Penders is clearly a few levels above. 

Having watched the entire game. Played again a good game.

 

Highlights Jong Genk last weekend.

Great save from him at about the 50 second mark. Cheers for posting the video !

6 hours ago, Night-T said:

For those interested. Here is a link with the highlights from Jong Genk last weekend. 

Jong Genk is the youth squad from Genk. Therefore the small audience. 

That being said. He still played against an adult team as Jong Genk plays in the second division (the championship of Belgium). Which is a  competition of prof clubs with 3 youth teams. Genk being on of them. 

Penders started off playing for the 1st squad, but the coach decided that due to the negotiations with Chelsea, to play the other goalkeeper in the first team instead. Don't think this will happen much longer as Penders is clearly a few levels above. 

Having watched the entire game. Played again a good game.

 

Highlights Jong Genk last weekend.

Thank you!

 

3 hours ago, Sexyfootball said:

Great save from him at about the 50 second mark. Cheers for posting the video !

What a save that was! Incredible

 

8 hours ago, AndyDowsleftflank said:

Thank you!

 

What a save that was! Incredible

I understand that from the outside.  It looks a bit of a strange transfer. 20 mil for a youngster that only played 1 game for the first team. 

But he did play already 2 seasons against professional adults. 

And last season he had a bunch of similar saves on crucial moments in the game that were result decisive.  

He has some amazing reflexes and despite being a double meter. He can go very fast to the ground. This and the fact that he is not easily phased by circumstances are probably the biggest similarities that he has with Courtois. 

Well that and the fact that we bought Courtois also from Genk. 😁

As for his character. The total opposite from Thibaut. He is loved by everyone in the club and not just by their wags. 

9 hours ago, Night-T said:

 

I understand that from the outside.  It looks a bit of a strange transfer. 20 mil for a youngster that only played 1 game for the first team. 

But he did play already 2 seasons against professional adults. 

And last season he had a bunch of similar saves on crucial moments in the game that were result decisive.  

He has some amazing reflexes and despite being a double meter. He can go very fast to the ground. This and the fact that he is not easily phased by circumstances are probably the biggest similarities that he has with Courtois. 

Well that and the fact that we bought Courtois also from Genk. 😁

As for his character. The total opposite from Thibaut. He is loved by everyone in the club and not just by their wags. 

Glad to hear it - especially about his character 👍

On 27/08/2024 at 20:53, WhiteWall said:

I'm assuming with our recent reputation in the market this guys nickname will be Bigs

Only three laughs. Tough audience!

3 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

Only three laughs. Tough audience!

Discerning crowd 😉

33 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

Only three laughs. Tough audience!

Just reread it and decided it's worth a laugh.  Nothing to do with it going right over my head the first time. Just assumed it was something about him having a big pen..

 

Edited August 29, 20241 yr by DarkMata

Beats the hell out of The Searchers gags.

For those that want to know how Penders is doing. 

He is currently playing for the first team of Genk. 

They are first in the Belgian competition and still in the Belgian Cup. 

Here are a couple of highlights from Genk in 2025. Obviously because these are match highlights you can't really see how his footwork is. But it is one of his better traits. Together with staying focus 90 min. As Genk is a dominant team like Chelsea. 

Sometimes he barely has anything to do all game. But when we call on him. Here is there. 

 

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, Night-T said:

For those that want to know how Penders is doing. 

He is currently playing for the first team of Genk. 

They are first in the Belgian competition and still in the Belgian Cup. 

Here are a couple of highlights from Genk in 2025. Obviously because these are match highlights you can't really see how his footwork is. But it is one of his better traits. Together with staying focus 90 min. As Genk is a dominant team like Chelsea. 

Sometimes he barely has anything to do all game. But when we call on him. Here is there. 

 

 

 

 

Not ready .. doesn’t push the balL to the side when shot stopping .. big weakness this one 

 

Not saying he is ready yet for Chelsea. Obviously he still has a lot to learn as he is only 19. The above is more for those that have no idea of his current situation, that he is on the right track. I hope they give him a loan to a dominant team in a top competition next year. Like they did with Courtois, who also came from Genk.

6 hours ago, Jangz said:

Not ready .. doesn’t push the balL to the side when shot stopping .. big weakness this one 

This is a big problem we have throughout the squad. Lots and lots of talented players who need game time to develop but at the same time isnt ready to be a starter for Chelsea. The limit on foreign loans really screwed us I think, which should have led to us shifting the strategy slightly - which of course we haven’t

I worry now that we’ll throw Penders straight in there, long before he’s ready, which is very unlikely to go well and is more likely to ruin his Chelsea career for good. Because if you believe Penders is THE guy in a season or two, what do you do now? Spend a large chunk of our increasingly limited transfer kitty on yet another temp goalie? Or stay with Sanchez/Jørgensen/Petrovic/Slonina/Kepa(!) in the hope that one of them can be on CL level all of a sudden?

Or go big on a world class goalie, if we can get one, which renders the whole Penders project meaningless and means that we cant address all the other problems we have in the squad like centre half and striker? 
 

The SD’s (and Ben Roberts) have put us in such an awful situation, littering the squad with expensive mediocre players financed by Cobhams finest

We are run by classless and clueless idiots - the only saving grace is that I cant see a way they’re making money on this so eventually they’ll be gone and we can start a proper rebuild

Wow that was negative and eventually went off topic, sorry about that guys 🙂

6 hours ago, AndyDowsleftflank said:

This is a big problem we have throughout the squad. Lots and lots of talented players who need game time to develop but at the same time isnt ready to be a starter for Chelsea. The limit on foreign loans really screwed us I think, which should have led to us shifting the strategy slightly - which of course we haven’t

I worry now that we’ll throw Penders straight in there, long before he’s ready, which is very unlikely to go well and is more likely to ruin his Chelsea career for good. Because if you believe Penders is THE guy in a season or two, what do you do now? Spend a large chunk of our increasingly limited transfer kitty on yet another temp goalie? Or stay with Sanchez/Jørgensen/Petrovic/Slonina/Kepa(!) in the hope that one of them can be on CL level all of a sudden?

Or go big on a world class goalie, if we can get one, which renders the whole Penders project meaningless and means that we cant address all the other problems we have in the squad like centre half and striker? 
 

The SD’s (and Ben Roberts) have put us in such an awful situation, littering the squad with expensive mediocre players financed by Cobhams finest

We are run by classless and clueless idiots - the only saving grace is that I cant see a way they’re making money on this so eventually they’ll be gone and we can start a proper rebuild

Wow that was negative and eventually went off topic, sorry about that guys 🙂

I just mentioned the same concerns on a post in the Sanchez thread. I'm not convinced that the club plan to ever play half these players, but are more interested in trading them like assets. Quite possible that Penders will be sold on without ever joining the first team squad.

For those interested.

Penders was MOM in his last game.

His current team Genk is currently on top of the league.

Here is a good reflex from last game.

Tbf, he didn't have much to do. But what he had to do. He did great. It's an important traits to remain focused 90 min in games you are dominant.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGvxA7RuZeu/?igsh=MXF4OGVlaHRjeWlzOA==

He seems to have been second-choice most of this season and the last, but is keeping his place of late. What's going on there?

41 minutes ago, SydneyChelsea said:

He seems to have been second-choice most of this season and the last, but is keeping his place of late. What's going on there?

Last season he was playing with the u21.

This season he started as the second goalkeeper. As Genk sold him to Chelsea and putting him in goal would have their other goalkeeper unhappy plus decrease in value.

Throughout the season it became very clear to the new genk manager (and way before that tonthe fans) that penders was a class above the other goalkeeper and since new year he has become the number 1 goalkeeper and make several crucial interventions. He did get a red card once at the end. But on return instantly got put back into the goal.

And he will be the goalkeeper for the rest of the season if he doesn't get injured.

do we need a goalkeeper thread?

Bart Verbruggen, 22 from Brighton is the latest keeper on the Chelsea radar.

imho we need an experienced goalkeeper and an experienced centre back. These are key positions. the problem with young players is that they can have OFF days and if that player is on the wing you can make that substitution whereas if that player is between the sticks it is more of an issue.

18 minutes ago, TheCeleryKing said:

do we need a goalkeeper thread?

Bart Verbruggen, 22 from Brighton is the latest keeper on the Chelsea radar.

imho we need an experienced goalkeeper and an experienced centre back. These are key positions. the problem with young players is that they can have OFF days and if that player is on the wing you can make that substitution whereas if that player is between the sticks it is more of an issue.

The mere words "...from Brighton..." make me break out in hives.

What is our obsession with Brighton FFS?

We've been mugged enough times. Just get Petrovic back and give him the No. 1 jersey.

On 05/03/2025 at 00:05, TheCeleryKing said:

Bart Verbruggen, 22 from Brighton is the latest keeper on the Chelsea radar.

So the bloke who conceded the only goal we've scored against them in the last two games

Sounds like a top keeper

Crazy actually that the 3 best GK’s on our books are all out on loan.

On 30/07/2024 at 18:57, Gordon Bennett said:

Reports suggest a €20m fee and a 2 year loan back to Genk.

No idea how close we actually are to signing him.

Please... Somebody make it make sense.

Is this true

12 hours ago, Loyalblue said:

Is this true

He joins us this summer. I imagine he goes back out on loan.