Bournemouth sign Petrovic for £25m – were Chelsea right to cash in?

Bournemouth have completed the £25m signing of Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic on a five-year deal.

The Serb, who joined Chelsea from New England Revolution in a £14m deal in 2023, spent last season on loan at French club Strasbourg.

Despite claiming the Chelsea number one spot under Mauricio Pochettino, Petrovic – who made 23 appearances during the 2023-24 season – was sent on loan to France last summer because of concerns about his ability to play out from the back.

Although Petrovic’s passing stats did not notably improve during his season on loan, his distribution has been more accurate than Robert Sanchez’s.

Where Petrovic stood out with Strasbourg was in his shot-stopping.

He prevented almost 10 goals more than an average goalkeeper would save, based on the expected goals on target (xGOT) model.

That total was the sixth highest in Europe’s top five leagues last season.

Sanchez, however, excelled as Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup, where he won the Golden Glove given to the tournament’s best goalkeeper.

The Spaniard made several key saves in the final against Paris St-Germain, also impressing with some pinpoint passes to set up attacks.

Petrovic – who has seven caps for Serbia – becomes Bournemouth’s third signing of the summer.

“I came to Bournemouth because I want to grow and I want to play at the best level,” said Petrovic.

“Together with this club, with these facilities, I think we can achieve it. I want to help the team get the results, improve every day and be a better player.”

Petrovic replaces former Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga who joined Arsenal in a £5m deal this month.

The strong interest from many clubs this summer for Petrovic comes as no surprise to football fans back home – he is living the best of his days.

Last season he helped Strasbourg finish seventh and resulted in a place in the Serbia national squad, where he has now won seven caps.

Saving a penalty in the World Cup qualifier against Albania – a match charged with tension because of politics and history – even earned him national-hero status.

The German media compared him to Manuel Neuer, one of the best goalkeepers of the century, because of their similar height, footwork and pass accuracy.

His former coaches commend Petrovic’s physical attributes, noting his strength in the air and willingness to come off his line, particularly noting his effectiveness in one-on-one situations and at stopping penalties.

Up until his move to Chelsea in 2023 from Major League Soccer side New England Revolution, he was a relatively unknown name in Serbia.

He came up through Cukaricki, a club from the capital of Belgrade, that has a notably smaller fanbase than the two Belgrade giants, Red Star and Partizan.