TeamTalk have today dropped an exclusive which claims that Chelsea are going to sell goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who new coach Enzo Maresca has already decided isn’t up the standards of ball-playing that he’s going to require from his goalkeeper.
The new manager wants his squad decided “before preseason” and the sporting directors are “working day and night” to make that happen.
Shifting Sanchez, who was signed for £25m not long ago isn’t going to be easy. We’re sure there would be takers at £15m, but are Chelsea really willing to swallow a £10m loss in the space of a year? That would really reflect terribly on those who pushed to sign him.
Still, it’s becoming very clear from this brief and others that a new goalkeeper is going to be signed. Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic, who played the second half of the season as Mauricio Pochettino’s first choice after initially coming in as an injury replacement.
We’re getting the first trickle of names as potential signings – but selling one of our current options is clearly a priority.
A mad thing to blame on a manager
We love the positioning of Sanchez here as a “failed Pochettino signing” by the article in question. That is so clearly nonsense – firstly, as Pochettino said himself “this is not my team.” He had little to not say in which players were signed.
It seems likely that this is especially the case with Sanchez. Surely the Spaniard was a Paul Winstanley led signing after the two worked together at Brighton?
We’re not sure what’s worse – Winstanley pushing for the deal for Sanchez, or not blocking it. Either way it has already proved to be a bad move, and the sporting director has some fault in the matter. If anything, Pochettino deserves credit for taking the brave decision to drop Sanchez as early as he did, despite likely having some pressure from above.
So he was recommended by former goalkeeping coach at Brighton Ben Roberts signed by former Brighton director of football Paul Winstanley and it’s Pochetinno’s fault? Pochetinno who publicly stated he was happy with Kepa and played him in pre season. Pochetinno who was out of England for three years. Pochetinno who had no say in any transfers. When exactly did he see Sanchez. Fact is the bosses wanted Kepa off the wage bill.
Did Poch actually “drop” Sanchez or was it injury that opened the door? My recollection is that it was the latter. In any event, neither Sanchez nor Petrovic (nor Kepa for that matter) are good enough to be a #1 at Chelsea—particularly under Maresca where composure with the ball at their feet has to be excellent. Let’s go get Ortega from City and quit arguing over whose fault any of it is. It’s stupid waste of time to keep carping over this failed transfer or that one. You bake a cake you’re go8ng to break eggs!