Enzo Maresca must feel a little like he’s walked into a trap.
For the whole of the weekend the talk was about Chelsea buying a new goalkeeper – how they would make that happen given they had already got two on their books they bought recently. The crux of the idea is that neither of the two are good enough with their feet to play in the way that Maresca wants his keepers to play.
Then the moment the announcement was made that he’s now in charge, the narrative turned 180 degrees. Last night all the talk was suddenly that number one stopper Robert Sanchez was going nowhere, and that the coach was going to have to make do with what he has?
So what’s the reality here? Likely somewhere between the two. Our writer Simon Phillips has been on the line with some of his sources working out where the club actually stand.
The future far from certain
He says that his top source agrees that Sanchez will not be sold (that seems probably – there’s no way we would happily lose money on him after just a year).
But talk of him being number one choice for next season is “very premature”. Chelsea have created a shortlist of goalkeepers to pursue, and whether it’s this summer or next, they are clearly looking for upgrades on the Spaniard Here’s the important part: he says there is “no way I am ruling out a new goalkeeper still coming in,” despite the recent chatter.
So where does that leave us? With a pair of very average goalies who we can’t sell, going into a season where they’re going to be asked to play in a way they’re not used to.
Sounds like a recipe for success, right?
