Summary Chelsea are looking to strengthen their goalkeeping position after the departure of Edouard Mendy. Fabrizio Romano has revealed who Robert Sanchez wants to join. Levi Colwill is primed to star if another 'keeper joins the club.
Whilst Chelsea continue their relentless attempts to bring Moises Caicedo to Stamford Bridge, the Blues have set their sights on a new man from the south coast.
Robert Sanchez is the latest player from Brighton to be added to Todd Boehly’s endless shortlist.
Is Robert Sanchez joining Chelsea?
According to The Athletic, Chelsea have an offer for the Brighton goalkeeper. However, the Seagulls are yet to respond to the bid, but discussions remain ongoing.
The west Londoners are looking to add depth to the position after Edouard Mendy departed for Saudi Arabia earlier in the summer.
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Meanwhile, the Spaniard’s future at the Amex Stadium looks at the point of no return, having been replaced by Jason Steele as first-choice with Bart Verbrugeen also signed from Anderlecht to bolster Roberto De Zerbi’s options.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Sanchez has already accepted Chelsea as his next destination and wants to join the club. Brighton are seemingly hoping for a swift departure.
How good is Robert Sanchez?
When the 6 foot 6 mountain signed a new four-and-a-half deal with Brighton in February 2021, he had seemingly sealed his future as their undisputed first choice.
In that first season of regular top-flight football, despite only making 27 appearances, Sanchez kept ten clean sheets. His 37% clean sheet percentage bettered the totals of Hugo Lloris, Bernd Leno, Allison, David de Gea, and Jordan Pickford to emphasise just how good he and his backline had been.
The £25k-per-week “monster” – as lauded by Graham Potter – continued this form in the 2021/22 campaign, registering the highest claims (60) in the division to underline his superiority as the club achieved a then-record league finish in ninth.
Potter then extended his praise of Sanchez, adding: “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.”
However, Potter’s sudden departure to Chelsea last September and the arrival of De Zerbi has seen Sanchez’s Brighton career unravel.
The former Rochdale loanee started just one of the club’s last 17 games of the season, with Jason Steele now firmly cemented as the number one choice.
This was reinforced by De Zerbi, who commented that the Englishman was closer to his style of play.
Although Sanchez has suddenly fallen out of favour, he still remains a solid goalkeeping option, who can provide much-needed competition for Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Potter has also described Sanchez as “amazing” due to his ability to relieve the pressure and “calmness with the ball.”
Such traits could well see him benefit Chelsea's Chelsea immensely, notably Levi Colwill who exudes the same sort of kind of quality and composure.
The defender is poised to sign a new six-year contract at the club and Mauricio Pochettino is thrilled with how Colwill has performed in pre-season, saying: “I am so happy, he can be one of the greatest centre-backs in England.”
The 20-year-old’s technical prowess is what separates him from the masses as he ranks in the top 8% in Europe’s top-five leagues among his positional peers for progressive passes per 90, as well as the best 12% for progressive carries per 90.
In a new-look Chelsea backline with Colwill and Sanchez drafted in, Pochettino may have found the solution to help Chelsea escape from mediocrity.
As good as the former is, it would have been incredibly difficult for him to stand out had Kepa continued with his error-stricken displays. Instead, a radiant period of consistency could well be born at the heart of the club's defence.
