Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Robert Sanchez during the upcoming summer transfer window.
With a recent report claiming that the west London club are willing to sell current goalkeeper Edouard Mendy this summer, it has since been revealed that the Blues have now set their sights on another shot-stopper to come in and potentially replace the Senegal international.
According to a recent report from Football Insider, Chelsea, as well as fellow Premier League sides Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, are interested in signing Sanchez this summer after recently finding himself out of Brighton & Hove Albion’s team.
The report also adds that Graham Potter had a positive relationship with the goalkeeper during his time in charge of the Seagulls.
In fact, the Englishman has previously shared his praise for the Spaniard by saying this about him back in February 2021.
He said: “Robert is a monster in terms of his physicality. He’s not just big but powerful too. He has everything to be a top goalkeeper.”
During his time with the south coast club, the 25-year-old has kept 28 clean sheets in 88 senior appearances across all competitions.
Across his 22 Premier League appearances this season, Sanchez has faced 72 shots on target, saving 45 of them, leaving only six goalkeepers in the division with a lower save percentage (66.7%) than the Brighton figure.
This could be why he has found himself on the substitutes’ bench for the club’s three previous league games.
Would you like to see Chelsea sign Robert Sanchez?
Yes
No
However, only seven other shot-stoppers in the league have a higher percentage of crosses stopped than him (7.7%) so he certainly has his strengths. Kepa Arrizabalaga, meanwhile, is almost half as successful in this area with 4.2%.
With all of that in mind, we feel that Chelsea should think carefully about whether they want to make a move to sign Sanchez in the summer based on his rather uninspiring efforts this season.
Although, if Mendy does end up waving goodbye to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, this could well force the club into taking action and getting a deal done.
At the end of the day, Sanchez is a goalkeeper experienced and proven at the top level, and having worked with Potter before, there would surely be few doubts over his overall ability if the ex-Seagulls boss was to bring him to west London.
Stats only tell some of the story, and for the most part of the season, Sanchez has been part of a Brighton side flying high this term. Therefore, if Potter can get the best out of him and replicate his form, he may yet improve the Blues’ fortunes.