First there was Djordje Petrovic, then Filip Jorgensen. Now there is Mike Penders.Robert Sanchez has always been comfortable with a bit of competition to start games in goal for Chelsea.Since joining from Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee in the region of £25million in 2023, Sanchez has had to work for his place. Things have not always gone smoothly, but his 111 appearances for the club show that he is the one who regularly comes out on top.However, perhaps Penders provides his biggest challenge yet, certainly for the long term.The highly-rated 21-year-old is going to be part of the Chelsea senior squad for the first time this season. There is a gap that needs filling. Petrovic was sold to Bournemouth for £25million last July, and Jorgensen has been given permission to leave this summer. A loan to Strasbourg, Chelsea’s sister club in France, is emerging as a serious option.Penders was bought from Genk in his native Belgium in 2024 but stayed there for one more year and was then loaned to Strasbourg for 2025-26.For quite a while now, Penders has been labelled the ‘next Thibaut Courtois’ in his homeland. Courtois also started his professional career at Genk and went on to thrive for four years at Stamford Bridge (after three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid) before joining Real Madrid in 2018, where he is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has yet to confirm publicly which of Sanchez or Penders is going to be first choice. Both played 45 minutes in the 1-0 friendly defeat by Juventus in Hong Kong in midweek and Sanchez was given the full 90 against Milan in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday, keeping the team’s first clean sheet of their pre-season tour in a 3-0 win. Instead of being worried about the situation, Sanchez is actually delighted Penders is now officially part of the group.“Mike is a great young goalie and had a great season at Strasbourg last year,” Sanchez says. “We had him (in the squad) at the FIFA Club World Cup last year — he was there with us. I think it is great for him to come here. It is great competition. He has massive potential. I think he is going to be a great ‘keeper in the future, massive.Summer 2024 buy Penders is now part of the squad at Chelsea (May James/AFP via Getty Images)“What are his qualities? He is a tall guy, big. A massive, massive guy. He is 6ft 6in, 6ft 7in (200cm). He dominates the area well and is very calm. He just has a good presence to be around and is a top guy as well.”Instead of being concerned or alarmed about the threat Penders poses to his place in the team, Sanchez believes it is exactly what he and Chelsea need. Asked if a big club such as the west Londoners have to have two top goalkeepers, Sanchez replies: “Absolutely, you always do, because you never know what will happen to the first-choice ‘keeper; if he is going to get injured or if he is going to go through a rough period. So you need someone, another choice to cover and push each other to elevate your level.