Mike Penders is a professional footballer who will join Chelsea next summer for a transfer fee of £17 million.
The Blues have signed a number of promising young players from around the world in recent times, such as Caleb Wiley, Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga.
It seems that the West London club’s hierarchy are more focused on building for the future than instant success, and the pursuit of Penders only feeds into that narrative.
He will not be part of Chelsea’s first-team squad for quite some time. Instead, the plan is to see him develop into a player of Thibaut Courtois’ calibre in years to come.
Most Blues fans will not know much about Penders, so the Chelsea Chronicle tells you everything you need to know about him below.
Profile
Mike Penders age
Mike Louis Penders was born in Belgium on July 31, 2005. He played for Boorsem Sport and Bregel Sport in his youth, both located on the west side of the Flemish Region.
Mike Penders height
Penders is six feet, seven inches tall (2.00 metres), which would make him the tallest player in the Chelsea squad, ahead of Lucas Bergstrom (1.99 metres).
Mike Penders position
Rather unsurprisingly, Penders is a goalkeeper. Chelsea must rate him highly as they already have a plethora of goalkeepers, including Robert Sanchez, Marcus Bettinelli and new signing Filip Jorgensen.
Career
Mike Penders Genk
Penders currently plays for Genk’s reserve team, Jong Genk, in the Challenger Pro League – the second division of Belgian football. He was promoted from Genk’s youth team in 2022.
Mike Penders stats
Penders has made 34 appearances for Jong Genk in the Challenger Pro League, conceding 52 goals and keeping five clean sheets.
The 19-year-old made his debut for Genk’s senior team in a 0-0 Belgian Pro League draw with Standard Liege in July. He became the third-youngest goalkeeper in the competition’s history.
Penders has also represented Belgium at youth international level. He played twice for the under-17 and under-18 teams, respectively. The goalkeeper has made seven appearances for the under-19 side, of which he is captain.
Mike Penders EA Sports FC rating
Penders is rated 64 in the game, EA Sports FC 24, with a potential rating of 82 – Raheem Sterling’s current rating. The youngster’s best attributes include strength (73), reflexes (68) and diving (67). He will surely receive an upgrade to his rating in EA Sports FC 25, perhaps seeing him up to around 68.
Mike Penders transfer value
Penders has a transfer value of £860,000 (€1m), according to Transfermarkt, which suggests that Chelsea’s £17 million deal is ridiculous. However, young players typically cost far more than their value because they have untapped potential.
Social Media
Mike Penders Instagram
You can find Penders on Instagram under the handle @mike.penders. He has over 8,000 followers.
Mike Penders Twitter
Penders does not have a public Twitter/X account.
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