Chelsea summer signing Mike Penders has admitted he’s been busy Googling London and life in the city ahead of a move to the Blues.
De Morgen have an interview with the 19-year-old KRC Genk goalkeeper today, during which Chelsea was naturally a focus of conversation.
Penders is set to join them in the summer transfer window after the Blues spent €20m to sign him from Genk last summer.
Instead of taking him to Stamford Bridge immediately they left him in Belgium to continue his development with his current club, hoping he’d be a regular this season.
Penders is a product of Genk’s youth set up, starting his career with them in the youth groups before moving to the U18s, Jong Genk and then the first team before Chelsea signed him last summer.
He’s only managed seven appearances this season in the Jupiler Pro League, with six goals conceded and three cleans sheets in those games. That’s less than ideal and Penders admits conversations were had about a move to Chelsea in January instead.
“Could have been. But it’s not like that now,” he said.
“It was discussed with Chelsea that they could already bring me to London this winter if I didn’t play a certain percentage of matches for New Year.
“It was always my goal to stay and play. I want to reach as much as possible with Genk.”
That never happened as Penders was promoted to first choice at Genk in January and has started in all of their last five league games.
He appears to have earned the faith of manager Thorsten Fink and could now be set for the crucial gametime Chelsea were hoping he’d get this season.
That move to Stamford Bridge is still looming, though, not that Penders is fazed by the prospects of such a big step up.
“At that level you know that you will have to compete with top players anyway. It is part of it,” he said.
“I was there once: when I started signing my contract. We were given a tour of Stamford Bridge. That was a great moment with the family, something we can be proud of. In the meantime, I have already been Googling: chic city, especially during the Christmas period.
“Of course I am impressed: after all, you end up among the best players in the world. But what is that, impressed? I look at it as something positive, like a wow feeling. For someone else it can mean that he feels overwhelmed, but I don’t know that. I don’t feel insecure quickly. ”
“A lot will come to me in London, I know. But I go there with a lot of enthusiasm. I am independent enough to stand up.”
