Former Chelsea star says there’s “big question” around one player ahead of Spurs clash

Former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has admitted there is a big question over incoming backup goalkeeper Mike Penders while Emiliano Martinez is out injured.

The Blues go into this weekend’s game against Tottenham in fine form, but one issue for them will be the younger and less experienced Penders filling in for Martinez in goal.

Malouda has highlighted that as one big question mark for his old club as they prepare to take on Spurs for their first game since Martinez went off with a head injury in the win against Everton last weekend.

Martinez joined Chelsea in the summer after some top performances during his time at Aston Villa, and the Argentine looked like an important upgrade in what had been a problem position for the west London club.

Now, however, they’ll have to see how well they cope without him for a few matches, though Penders also looks like a reasonably highly rated young talent.

Florent Malouda on Chelsea’s backup goalkeeper Mike Penders

“It’s a big week coming up for Chelsea,” Malouda told Seven, powered by Ladbrokes.

“First of all, I do see us beating Tottenham. From what I’ve seen since the international break, there’s a great link-up between the offensive players.

“I do feel sorry for Emiliano Martinez, and there’ll be a big question around how the new goalkeeper will take over, give balance and instil confidence in the defence.

“But I see a home win for Chelsea. We always tend to concede goals, so I guess Tottenham will score, but yeah, I see either a 3-1 or a 4-2 win.”

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Chelsea have a good record against Tottenham, especially at Stamford Bridge, so it will surely take more than just one injury to majorly derail them in this fixture.

Spurs have also generally been poor so far this season, having only won their first game of the Premier League season earlier this week.

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