“Kounde next”: Some fans react as Chelsea confirm first signing of the summer

Fans react as Chelsea confirm the signing of Marcus Bettinelli

At long last, Chelsea have made their first signing of the summer transfer window, with Marcus Bettinelli signing on a free transfer, the club have confirmed on the official website.

A product of the Fulham youth academy, Bettinelli has spent the entirety of his career with the Cottagers, barring the times he was loaned out, including last season when he turned out for Middlesbrough.

The 29-year-old Englishman had become a free agent after his contract ran out at the end of the last month. And, Chelsea have acted quickly to snap him up on a Bosman move. Bettinelli has signed a two-year contract with the west London giants.

He comes in as a replacement for Willy Caballero who departed earlier this summer when his contract with Chelsea ran out. The ex-Fulham ace will be the third-choice goalkeeper for the Blues behind Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga. Upon completion of the transfer, he said:

“It’s always been a special club. I know the area very well so it’s been a dream of mine to come over to this side and it’s finally happened. There were some talks a few years ago when I was a bit younger and for whatever reason that didn’t come about but I’m here now. I’m really excited to be involved and looking forward to trying to impress and help the team as much as I can.”

Fans took to Twitter to welcome their first signing of the summer, with most demanding that the club announce the signing of Jules Kounde, talks for whom are in advanced stages.

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