Todd Boehly and his team may already have an eye on the upcoming summer transfer window as they prepare to dip into the market to bolster the Chelsea squad.
The American has already splashed the cash by bringing in the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Mykhailo Mudryk, Cole Palmer, and Raheem Sterling, among many others, in recent windows.
However, that does not look likely to stop the Blues from investing in their team once again when the next window opens for business later this year.
The depth of their recruitment could be affected by the remaining three games of the Premier League season, though, as the club does not know what competitions they will be competing in.
Chelsea still have the chance to qualify for either the Europa Conference League or the Europa League, and playing in Europe would require more squad depth to deal with the sheer volume of matches that they could play.
One area the Blues are reportedly looking to strengthen in is the goalkeeper position, which looks set to be bad news for current number one Dorde Petrovic.
Chelsea's interest in Premier League goalkeepers
Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino are eyeing up two current Premier League goalkeepers to potentially arrive at Stamford Bridge as the new first-choice this summer.
According to Football Insider, Chelsea are lining up a swoop for Everton and England shot-stopper Jordan Pickford to bolster their options between the sticks.
The report claims that they are also looking at Arsenal number two Aaron Ramsdale, who has lost his starting place to David Raya under Mikel Arteta this season.
It states that they have made signing a new number one a priority for the upcoming summer transfer window and that Pickford and Ramsdale have both been identified as targets.
Football Insider claims that the Gunners back-up is poised to move on from The Emirates after losing his spot in the lineup to the Spanish star, which could open the door to a move to Stamford Bridge.
Whereas, the report reveals that Everton are hoping to price their number one out of an exit from Goodison Park after they avoided relegation down to the Championship.
It remains to be seen exactly how much they are set to demand, though, and their interest in Pickford, as well as Ramsdale, spells bad news for Petrovic and his long-term place as the number one for Pochettino.
Dorde Petrovic's Premier League struggles
The Serbia international fought to win his position in the starting XI in the Premier League this season, after starting the term as the back-up to Roberto Sanchez.
He has started 19 of the club's 35 top-flight matches and kept clean sheets in each of his last two outings in the division – against Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
The 24-year-old also made a whopping ten saves and recorded a Sofascore rating of 8.9 in the 1-0 League Cup final defeat to Liverpool earlier this season, but his form in the league has left a bit to be desired.
Appearances
16
Goals conceded per game
1.6
Save success rate
68%
Goals prevented
-0.22
Error led to shot
2
Error led to goal
1
As you can see in the table above, Sanchez made three errors leading to shots or goals for the opposition in just 16 games at the start of the campaign, before being replaced by Petrovic.
The Serbian, however, has let in a staggering 7.44 more goals than expected based on the xG on his goal, compared to just 0.22 more for Sanchez, and this suggests that he has been in poor form as a shot-stopper.
Petrovic has also made two errors that have directly led to a goal for the opposition – one more than the current number two – and this means that he has been a liability with the ball at his feet at times, as well as struggling to make saves.
The interest in Pickford should come as bad news for the young gem as it suggests that Pochettino and Boehly are not prepared to give him time to gain experience and grow into his role as the number one, as they want to bring in an established star to assume that position next season.
Why Chelsea should sign Jordan Pickford
The Blues should sign the England international to bolster the squad as he is a proven Premier League performer who could come in as an immediate upgrade on Petrovic and Sanchez.
At the age of 30, Pickford is an experienced player who has racked up 284 top-flight appearances in his career to date – playing for the Toffees and Sunderland.
This means that he knows the ins and outs of the division and would have a great chance of hitting the ground running, as the talented stopper would not be coming over from a foreign league with no experience in England or the Premier League.
Appearances
16
20
36
Save success rate
68%
66%
70%
Successful run-outs per game
0.8
0.6
0.6
Goals prevented
-0.22
-7.44
2.08
Error led to shot or goal
3
2
1
As you can see in the table above, Pickford has also outperformed Chelsea's two first-team goalkeepers in the league this season, outperforming his xG against tally by 2.08.
This means that the Toffees star, who content creator Josh Wright hailed as having a "monster" campaign last term, has kept out more goals than expected with his high-quality shot-stopping skills.
These statistics suggest that Chelsea would improve their defensive numbers by bringing Pickford in as he has the ability to consistently keep out high xG chances, whilst Petrovic has conceded over seven more than expected in just 20 appearances.
The Everton star also ranks within the top 21% of his positional peers or higher in the Men's Big 5 Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for defensive actions outside of his penalty area per 90 (1.38) and the average distance of his defensive actions (16.4 yards) respectively.
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This shows, along with his shot-stopping, the £125k-per-week titan is an excellent sweeper who comes off his line on a regular basis to clear up behind his defence.
Overall, Chelsea's interest in Pickford should concern Petrovic as the Blues would be bringing in a superior, more experienced, goalkeeper to take his place, leaving him on the bench or in search of a move away from Stamford Bridge.