CHELSEA fans may have noticed a new face on the bench as Krasnodar were dispatched in the Champions League – Karlo Ziger.
The goalkeeper, 19, sat alongside Willy Caballero, 39, as the Blues won 4-0 in his first venture into a senior squad.
Little is known about Croatia youth international Ziger’s arrival in England.
But since making his Under-18s debut in late 2017, he has gently risen up the ranks.
Described as a hard-working shot-stopper with top reflexes, the keeper was a regular at that level in 2018/19, featuring in Uefa Youth League penalty shootout wins over Dinamo Zagreb and Barcelona.
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Future Blaugrana star Ansu Fati was one of the only players to get the better of Ziger in that run, which ended with a defeat to Porto in the final.
Midway through that season, he made his senior football debut in a one-game emergency loan spell at Sutton United.
The FA Trophy clash may have finished 3-0 to Spennymoor but Ziger took home his team’s man of the match award before heading back to Chelsea.
Last season saw the Zagreb-born player in and out of the Under-23s setup, behind Jamie Cumming, who joined Stevenage on loan in the summer to elevate Ziger yet further.
Therefore, 2020-21 could be a make or break season for the youngster ahead of his contract expiring in June.
Chelsea worked hard to bring Ziger over from Croatia and his signing became mired in the Football Leaks scandal surrounding the club last year.
The leaks alleged that the Premier League club paid £120,000 to the keeper’s family to sign him from NK Zagreb at the age of 12.
In March 2014, Croatian media reported on the transfer although Chelsea officially state that he joined over three years later.
It is claimed Karlo’s father, Darko, was registered as a club employee and the family’s accomodation paid for until the starlet turned 16.
Furthermore, newspaper Nacional has claimed that the Blues paid over £800,000 for Ziger when agreeing an initial seven-year deal.
Fifa handed Chelsea a two-window transfer ban for 150 rule breaches involving 69 academy players in February 2019.
On appeal, the ban and fine handed out to the club were reduced and the exact players linked to the punishment have not been confirmed.
Now looking to complete his long journey to the Stamford Bridge first-team, Ziger is one of a handful of keepers available to Frank Lampard.
Edouard Mendy signed from Rennes for £22million in the autumn with Kepa Arrizabalaga his back-up.
Experienced shot-stopper Willy Caballero is third choice before Ziger.
And Lampard even handed a squad space to club legend Petr Cech, 38, as a ‘precautionary’ measure having first hired the keeper to be his technical and performance advisor.
