Villarreal CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles has questioned Filip Jorgensen's decision to join Chelsea and suggested the move could hinder his development. The Denmark under-21 international left Villarreal for the Blues in a deal worth around £20million this past July despite Chelsea seeming well-stocked on goalkeepers.
After establishing himself as Villarreal's first-choice goalkeeper, Jorgensen now finds himself competing with three other senior keepers at Stamford Bridge. He seems unlikely to displace Robert Sanchez as first choice stopper, though he'll rank above other reserves Marcus Bettinelli and Lucas Bergstrom.
In a recent interview with AS (via The Mirror), Roig admitted that while Villarreal knew they might have to sell Jorgensen eventually, they didn't expect it to happen so soon. And the sad truth is all parties could end up losing out if the player isn't afforded chances to impress in west London.
"The truth is that we didn't want to sell Alex [Sorloth] or Filip," said Roig. "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.
"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. His departure doesn't hurt me though, football is like that."
Villarreal ended last season finishing eighth in La Liga with Jorgensen stood guard, narrowly missing out on European qualification. Chelsea are set to compete in this season's Europa Conference League, and it's there the Sweden-born goalkeeper should clock some significant minutes with his new side.
Last season saw Djordje Petrovic shine as Sanchez's stand-in during the latter's injury spell. Nonetheless, he's now been loaned out to French side Strasbourg, and Kepa Arrizabalaga is at Bournemouth on a year-long temporary move.