Chelsea have already bolstered their attacking options with the signings of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson and now Mauricio Pochettino is looking at adding more fresh faces.
Having sold Edouard Mendy in June, it’s evident that the Argentinian requires another goalkeeper to give Kepa Arrizabalaga some competition ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, and they have been linked with a move for Brighton and Hove Albion star Robert Sanchez.
Could Chelsea sign Robert Sanchez?
According to The Daily Mail, the Blues are eyeing up a move for Sanchez during the transfer window.
With the departure of Mendy, plus the fact that American youngster Gabriel Slonina looks set to leave on loan, Pochettino doesn’t have a solid back-up option.
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Sanchez has two years left on his current contract at the South coast side and his price tag appears to be set at around £30m as Manchester United were looking at signing the Spaniard before they secured a deal for Andre Onana.
What could Robert Sanchez offer Chelsea?
Along with the aforementioned attacking signings, Chelsea also appear set to announce defender Axel Disasi as their latest arrival in a £38m deal from AS Monaco.
With Wesley Fofana out for the foreseeable future due to undergoing surgery on his knee, Disasi could come in and improve the defence, while also linking up well with Sanchez.
Exuding forward-thinking abilities, the Frenchman ranked in the top 4% for both progressive passes (5.8) and progressive carries (1.7) per 90 when compared to his positional peers in Europe's top five leagues, and it’s clear that he enjoys taking the ball forward as often as possible, while also starting attacks from the heart of the defence.
Across 23 Premier League matches last term, Sanchez averaged 37.7 touches per game, while he succeeded with 100% of his successful run-outs and completed 90% of his passes within his own half.
This indicates that he is comfortable on the ball and maintains an extremely high pass success rate when offloading the ball to the centre-backs who are playing in front of him, suggesting that he could shine with Disasi taking the ball from him regularly and moving it forward.
Arrizabalaga did average more touches per game (41.6) and held a 92% success rate with regard to accurate passes in his own half, yet with his statistics, Sanchez would be a more than adequate backup to the Spaniard next season.
Indeed, former Brighton manager Graham Potter lauded him back in 2021, saying: “He is a monster in terms of his physicality. He’s not just big but he is powerful, he is fast.
“In terms of attributes as a goalkeeper, he has got everything to be a top goalkeeper.”
Having dropped down the pecking order under Roberto De Zerbi, perhaps a fresh start is exactly what the 25-year-old needs in order to live up to this previous praise.
Pochettino could give him a platform to shine, and although he will more than likely remain an understudy to Arrizabalaga, when given an opportunity, there is no doubt the ‘keeper would showcase his abilities.
