Fenerbache forward Dusan Tadic has raved over a "great talent" who he says is the "future of Chelsea".
Chelsea's policy of buying younger players
A reoccurring theme of Chelsea's transfer policy since Clearlake Capital's takeover in 2022 has been the acquisition of younger players.
Chelsea have done a tonne of leg work to convince star to join them
The Blues have been working behind-closed-doors.
ByEmilio GalantiniMar 16, 2024
According to recent reports, chairman Todd Boehly and co are planning to sign two players in each position under the age of 23 over the next few years, with Chelsea already bringing in a plethora of young stars.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino, however, has previously suggested this could be a problem – as he doesn't want to end up picking the youngest team in England.
“I am not picking the team because they are young,” said Pochettino.
“I don’t want to be the coach that picks the youngest team in England. We are a young team, but we have a good balance. We have players like Thiago Silva, 39, Raheem Sterling, [Christopher] Nkunku, 26, or [Axel] Disasi.
Burnley
March 30th
Man United
April 4th
Sheffield United
April 7th
Everton
April 15th
Brighton
April 20th
“The problem is not that the players are so young. The problem is that the team is young. With 16 or 17 players that have arrived new from the beginning of the season, you need to build a team. At the moment, maybe it’s not so good. If not, we could be in another position. It’s obvious.”
Of the many young Chelsea crop to join in the last 12 months, 24-year-old goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has been regularly called upon this season after making the move to Stamford Bridge from New England Revolution last summer.
The Serbian has filled in for Robert Sanchez lately, with many arguably not expecting the shot-stopper to gain that much in terms of league minutes over 2023/2024.
Dusan Tadic says Petrovic is "the future of Chelsea"
Speaking to London News Online, former Southampton star Tadic has backed Petrovic for greatness in the Chelsea net – heaping praise on his compatriot.
“Dorde is a great goalkeeper and a great talent and it’s very nice to see him play for Chelsea," said Tadic.
“I saw immediately in training what a great goalkeeper he is. He’s [also] a very good guy and professional. Actually I am not surprised [to see him play at Chelsea] because in the past we were also looking at him for Ajax. And I remember they asked me about him.
“He was on the list of all the top clubs and if he’s Chelsea number one now is no coincidence. I think he can keep his place [following Sanchez’s return] because once goalkeepers take their chance they don’t give it away to nobody.
“I trust him, he’ll do that. He’s the future of Chelsea. Milinkovic-Savic did very well, we have Dorde, we have Svilar and Rajkovic, so many good goalkeepers.It’s nice for Serbia to have more and more options.”
