Chelsea FC's official website has announced that goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli has joined the club. Bettinelli joins Chelsea FC after being released by Fulham, and he will bolster the goalkeeping options of the team following the departure of Willy Caballero. The goalkeeper spent more than a decade at Craven Cottage, making 120 games for the Whites while also representing England at the Under-21 level.

''It's always been a wonderful club,'' Bettinelli said after signing a two-year contract at Stamford Bridge. He adds: ''I'm familiar with the neighborhood, so coming over to this side has long been a dream of mine, and it's now come true. There were some discussions a few years back when I was younger, but they never materialized for some reason, but I'm here now. I'm incredibly happy to be a part of it, and I'm looking forward to impressing and assisting the team in any way I can.''


Bettinelli began his career at Fulham when he was 14 years old, rising through the ranks before making his club debut following the club's relegation to the Championship in 2014/15. Prior to it, he had spent time on loan with Dartford in non-league and Accrington Stanley in League Two, acquiring senior football experience as a young goalkeeper and winning the Crown Ground Young Player of the Year award. Following the departure of David Stockdale in the summer of 2014, Bettinelli returned to Fulham and quickly established himself as the club's first-choice goalkeeper, making 45 appearances across all competitions and earning his first call-up to the England Under-21 squad.

Despite entering the season as the club's number one, the Londoner suffered knee ligament damage in the third game and was forced to sit out for the next seven months. He returned in March and started the final nine games of the season, though Fulham's promotion hopes remained bleak as they concluded the season in 20th place.

Bettinelli played in both legs of the play-off semi-final against Reading as the Whites came up short, but he made amends 12 months later as Slavisa Jokanovic's team eventually secured a Premier League return with a victory over Aston Villa. Fulham kept three clean sheets in three playoff games, thus his contributions were especially essential during those season-defining games.


Bettinelli returned to the Premier League in August 2018, making his top-flight debut in a 4-2 win against Burnley, the first of a run of seven consecutive league appearances. The goalkeeper's form was rewarded with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's England team during the first international break of the season, an achievement he replicated the following month in October, but without making an appearance for the Three Lions.

Despite a good start to the season, Sergio Rico was handed the starting job for the balance of the season after six games without a win. The Whites only won seven league games and were relegated to the Championship immediately. After another 14 appearances in 2019/20 due to injury, he spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough, where he made 42 appearances and kept 13 clean sheets for a team that ended 10th in the second division.



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Source
Official: Goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli Joins Chelsea FC


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