The goalkeeper situation at Chelsea is firmly among the headlines with Enzo Maresca facing a big decision. Robert Sanchez has become his clear No.1 in Premier League action with summer signing Filip Jorgensen deployed in the Conference League.
Though the Blues have improved defensively, Sanchez has faced some criticism for his performances with the Spain international having made a number of errors. He has been partly blamed for goals conceded against Manchester United, Brighton and Liverpool with his role in the goal scored by Arsenal last weekend hard to look beyond.
As Gabriel Martinelli received a pass from Martin Odegaard at a tight angle, he somehow managed to squeeze an effort past Sanchez at his near post. Despite showing some inconsistencies, football.london has previously reported that the Blues are retaining full belief in Sanchez.
With that being the case, football.london also understands that links to Liverpool shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher are wide of the mark. If either of those stances change, Chelsea could look to the transfer market with the likes of Diogo Costa, Mike Maignan and Gregor Kobel all past targets.
However, there is an obvious potential replacement already in their ranks that is also not Jorgensen. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Sanchez was the favoured goalkeeper initially but injury saw him replaced by Djorde Petrovic and the 25-year-old quickly became first-choice.
Very quickly into Maresca’s reign however, Petrovic did not have a clear role within the squad and he was subsequently shipped out on loan to sister-club Strasbourg. The Serbia international has made eight Ligue 1 appearances for the French club, who sit eleventh, with just one clean sheet to his name.
Despite that, Petrovic has already proven himself to Chelsea supporters and they will likely welcome him back with open arms. However if he does not swiftly return to the thoughts of Maresca, a permanent exit is very likely given the other younger shot-stoppers on the club’s books.
Gabriel Slonina and Mike Penders are both prospects for the future while the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli and Ted Curd remain contracted to the club. Based on this, bringing in another new goalkeeper seems pointless if the club’s Sanchez stance changes, especially with Petrovic right there and Premier League proven.
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