Villarreal CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles has questioned why goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen decided to sign for Chelsea during the summer transfer window.
Once Enzo Maresca became the new head coach of the Blues, it became apparent that he would not be keeping Djordje Petrovic as his first-choice stopper.
Robert Sanchez has since been promoted to the role, with Petrovic allowed to link up with fellow BlueCo-owned club Strasbourg on a season-long loan deal.
With the Serbia international out of the picture from the outset, Chelsea identified Jorgensen as their chosen alternative.
The Denmark Under-21 international subsequently penned a seven-year contract with the Premier League side after Villarreal accepted a £20m proposal.
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'Jorgensen exit was rushed'
Despite having impressed in La Liga during 2023-24, the 22-year-old was not expected to immediately dislodge Sanchez from his position between the sticks.
In fact, Jorgensen being presented with two starts in the Europa Conference League playoff against Servette was realistically the best that he could hope for, barring an injury or sending off involving Sanchez.
Nevertheless, speaking to AS, Roig feels that there was no need for Jorgensen to depart the Yellow Submarine at that point in his career.
He said: "The truth is that we didn't want to sell Alex (Sorloth) or Filip. It was clear to us that we had to make some sales, we didn't foresee those, but in the end it happened because both players were willing to leave and the offers were attractive enough to accept.
"In both cases we followed the will of the player, we wouldn't have sold them otherwise. We knew that there would have to be a sale this summer, but not just those two. We didn't know that.
"We didn't expect to sell Jorgensen so soon, let alone this year. We knew about his enormous potential and we thought he would leave, but not now. Honestly, and I have made this clear to him and his entourage, I think Jorgensen rushed his decision.
"He had room for improvement and growth here, but his departure was his will. We did not intend to make that sale, but it has happened because he is a great goalkeeper for the present and the future and with qualities that can make him one of the most important goalkeepers in Europe."
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Can Jorgensen expect further outings in short term?
Maresca has already indicated that Jorgensen will be provided with opportunities in the Conference League and the EFL Cup.
Chelsea play host to Barrow in the EFL Cup third round on September 24, while their first Conference League group-stage fixture is against Gent on October 3.
Darren Plant
