MIKE PENDERS has big shoes to fill at Chelsea — so it is just as well the young keeper has big feet.
Penders, 21, is being called up to replace World Cup-winner Emi Martinez after the Blues No. 1 .
And the Belgian is also following in the footsteps of compatriot , who learned his trade at the same club, Genk, before becoming a Stamford Bridge legend.
Koen Witters, who coached both players and is now manager of Genk’s goalkeeping academy, recalled how Penders’ physical attributes caused him problems in more ways than one.
Witters said: “When Mike was at under-14 level, he had shoe size 49 (equivalent to a UK 14).
“When it was winter and you needed boots for when the ground was a little bit frozen, I remember saying, ‘Mike, you don’t have the right boots’.
“He replied, ‘Coach, they don’t make the right boots in my size’.”
Penders first came to Witters’ attention in weekly sessions at his private goalkeeping academy while still playing for grassroots teams.
The young man stood out not just for his ability but for being incredibly tall, bigger than some of the boys he trained with, who were two years older.
But that early growth spurt brought problems which almost cost Penders during trials for the under-14 team at Genk, where Witters was by then working as a coach.
Witters said: “He was very tall. His timing, coordination, motor skills — none of it was aligned.
“He was struggling with everything, with kicking the ball, with walking, running, fast movement.
“When he was running backwards, sometimes he just fell over. We saw a lot of potential but also a lot of work we needed to do.
“During the trial period, he showed a very strong mentality. He was driven, eager to learn. So we decided to give him a chance.”
Penders is the same height as Courtois — 6ft 6½in — and it helped his cause that his predecessor suffered similar teenage angst.
Witters explained: “Courtois was a tall, clumsy guy like Mike. He had a tough time at under-14 level.
“But my colleague, Gilbert Roux, was convinced of his potential and determined we should keep working with him. When everything came together, he went like a rocket.”
Penders did the same, overtaking the other Genk keeper in his age group.
Witters said: “Once he was at under-17 level, it was very clear he was going to be the next big thing at our club.”
agreed a deal to sign Penders for £17million in August 2024, when he turned 19 and had made only two first-team appearances for Genk.
But his form the previous season for Jong Genk, the youth side which plays in Belgium’s second tier, was enough to convince the Blues to sign him.
Like Courtois and every goalkeeper who has come through Genk for the last two decades, Penders is excellent with his feet.
Witters, who now heads up a department with ten specialist coaches and numerous support staff, said: “Nowadays, every club tries to have a goalkeeper with good feet.
“But we were coaching it 20 years ago, thanks to Gilbert Roux and Guy Martens, who were here even before me.
“Our goalkeepers have to be two-footed. We train them in that, and in recognising the space and decision-making, from age ten.
“You can improve on everything, but Mike is very complete.”
Courtois and Penders are just two of more than a dozen products of Genk’s goalkeeping factory who are playing in Belgium and beyond.
Last month, Liverpool agreed to pay up to £30m for the latest prodigy, 18-year-old Lucca Brughmans.
Penders had an impressive 2025-6 season on loan at Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg. He was called up to Belgium’s World Cup squad as No .3.
Mistakes by Blues keeper Robert Sanchez this season seemed to open the door for Penders — only for Chelsea to then sign Martinez from Aston Villa.
The Argentine’s injury after a heavy collision with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite means the Belgian should make his first Premier League start against Tottenham today.
Chelsea boss has no worries, saying: “He’s ready. He has shown he has a good level. When he came on, he showed his qualities.
“Mike is a keeper for now and the future.”
Witters agrees, adding: “He’s strong enough to cope with the pressure. I’m convinced he’ll be Chelsea’s No .1.
Blues fans saw Courtois help the club win two Prem titles before moving on to even greater things with Real Madrid.
Could Penders be as good as Courtois? Alonso said: “There are a lot of similarities. Not just the nationality, but the stature.
“I spoke with Thibaut as well at the World Cup. He said himself he could see resemblences with Mike.”
