Chelsea have announced their first signing of the summer transfer window, with Marcus Bettinelli penning a two-year contract with the Blues.
Chelsea have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Marcus Bettinelli. The 29-year-old English goalkeeper arrives at Stamford Bridge on a free transfer and has committed his next two years to the west London outfit, signing a contract that runs until June 30, 2023.
Bettinelli had been a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Fulham, who chose not to hand him a new deal. The English shot stopper is an academy graduate of the south London club and spent a decade and a half at Craven Cottage. However, he was only the first-choice goalkeeper in two seasons.
The 29-year-old even spent three campaigns away from the Cottagers, including last term, wherein he was on loan at Middlesbrough. At Fulham, Bettinelli amassed 120 appearances, keeping 31 clean sheets in the process. Upon his release from Fulham, though, he had been courting interest from some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, with Chelsea at the front of the queue of suitors.
The interest from Chelsea did not come as a surprise despite the presence of Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizbalaga in the first-team setup. The Blues, though, needed a new third-choice goalkeeper following the departure of Willy Caballero at the end of his deal at Stamford Bridge