Filip Jorgensen has discussed how seeing Villarreal's Europa League triumph firsthand has motivated the goalkeeper in search of his own European glory and why Enzo Maresca's style of play 'really suits me'.

Jorgensen has been a key member of the Chelsea team during our Conference League campaign, missing just one match on our way to the semi-final.

His arrival at Chelsea last summer came shortly after the appointment of Enzo Maresca, whose style of play clearly involves having a goalkeeper who is good with his feet.

And speaking ahead of our Conference League semi-final second leg with Djurgarden, Jorgensen said: ‘Enzo's style of play and what he wants to do is very good for my style of play and I try my best to give him what he wants from his goalkeepers.

'I really enjoy his style of play and his way of thinking really suits my playing style and what I want.'

Jorgensen was born and raised in Sweden. With a Danish father and Swedish mother, the goalkeeper spent the first 12 years of his life living in the small town of Lomma, which is nestled between the cities of Malmo and Lund on Sweden’s southern coast, and separated only from Denmark by The Sound strait.

After initially joining Malmo as a striker at six, Jorgensen became a goalkeeper around the age of 10 and it was two years later when his family moved to the Balearic Island of Mallorca.

They returned to Sweden a year later but Jorgensen's performances in goal for Mallorca's 'friend club' Penya Arrabal had already caught the attention and after initially rejecting the La Liga side's approach when in Spain, he asked if the offer was still on the table and was soon heading back.

Jorgensen made great strides under the guidance of Mallorca's goalkeeping coaches during the following 12 months and by the age of 15 had been offered a professional contract by Villarreal.

There is an assumption that Jorgensen's time in Spain was the main reason why he is good with his feet but the Denmark international explained it goes back further than that.

'Since I was young, I wanted to be an outfield player,' he said. 'I played a lot as a striker when I was younger. It was something I always liked.

‘Then in Spain, we played [with our feet] a lot as goalkeepers so I learned a lot from there too.’

Jorgensen's first season with Villarreal coincided with Unai Emery's side winning their first major European title, the Europa League.

The then teenage Jorgensen was a substitute for six matches during Villarreal's run to the final and although the quarter-final first leg was the last time he was named among the replacements, the triumph over Manchester United left a lasting mark on the young goalkeeper.

'I learned a lot from my time at Villarreal and I saw a lot of things when we won the Europa League,' Jorgensen said.

'Emotionally, every player was so happy and enjoyed the trophy, so it made me feel like I want to be there one day and hopefully we can do it this year.’

After impressing in the youth teams and then Villarreal B, Jorgensen made his La Liga debut in January 2023 and by the start of the 2023/24 campaign had secured his place as the senior side's number one, with his subsequent performances attracting the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Chelsea.

Jorgensen has now made 21 appearances in all competitions for the Blues and believes SW6 is the ideal place to aid his development.

He said: ‘Chelsea is one of the best places to be in terms of how you can improve every day and the coaches help you get better every day. I’m really happy here and I want to keep growing.’

Westview tickets for the home leg of our UEFA Conference League semi-final are on sale for £60pp, available exclusively to CFC Members. Hospitality packages are available on general sale here, starting from £160pp.