Chelsea has strengthened itself with Marcus Bettinelli, the English top club announced through the official channels. The 29-year-old goalkeeper comes over from Fulham on a free transfer and has signed a two-year contract at Stamford Bridge. Bettinelli is seen at Chelsea as the successor to Willy Caballero, the third goalkeeper whose contract expired earlier this summer.
“Chelsea has always been a special club. I know the area well, so it’s always been a dream to play here and it finally happened. There has been a lot of talk of this in recent years, but for some reason it hadn’t happened until now. I am extremely happy to be part of Chelsea and look forward to helping the team as much as possible,” Bettinelli said on Chelsea’s official website.
Bettinelli is a youth product of Chelsea’s fellow townsman Fulham. After rental periods at Dartford and Accrington Stanley, he became the first goalkeeper at . in the 2014/15 season the Cottagers. However, it would be the only season in which Bettinelli was fully favored under the bar at Fulham. He went on to make 75 official appearances for Fulham before moving to Middlesbrough on loan last season. Bettinelli was twice in the England squad in September and October 2018, although he did not play for the Three Lions.
Bettinelli’s contract with Fulham expired earlier this summer, meaning he can now make a free transfer to Chelsea. The signing of the new third goalkeeper should be the starting signal for Chelsea for an ambitious transfer summer. According to the Guardian a new striker (Harry Kane, Erling Braut Haaland or Romelu Lukaku) and a new right-back must be brought in, while Declan Rice is also strongly followed.
Related
More sports news