Sanchez's Club World Cup campaign may have come at just the right time for the progression of his Chelsea career…
Header image: via Bleacher Report.
In recent days, the plaudits surrounding Chelsea’s recent Club World Cup success have by no means been limited to manager Enzo Maresca and talisman Cole Palmer. The Blues’ goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez, has received his fair share of praise in the media, too, following Chelsea’s comprehensive 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
Most outlets and pundits recognised the Spaniard’s stellar performance in the final, as well as his capture of the tournament’s Golden Glove award - entertainingly presented by President Donald Trump, who himself reportedly dabbled between the goalposts in his youth. That’s most pundits apart from former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, who was quoted as saying to DAZN that ‘I still believe we do need a top, top goalkeeper. Robert Sanchez had a brilliant game today but going into the new season with the Champions League and the Premier League I think you still need another top goalkeeper that is going to come in and compete with him.’
Up until recently, that goalkeeper was reportedly going to be Mike Maignan, but it is now understood that Chelsea have distanced themselves from pursuing that deal further. It seems that Sanchez may finally have locked down a contended position that, up to now, hasn’t seemed entirely secure in his grasp. But how?
Since Thibaut Courtois departed Stamford Bridge in 2018, the Chelsea goalposts have lacked a genuinely undroppable custodian. Kepa Arrizablaga, who recently joined London rivals Arsenal, never quite made the position his indisputable own during his time at the Bridge, Edouard Mendy won a Champions League medal before his tenure crumbled unusually quickly. Graham Potter’s arrival (alongside Head of Goalkeeping Ben Roberts) from Brighton then saw the pair opt to bring their former number one from the South Coast to the capital.
For Sanchez, the last two years at Chelsea have been somewhat turbulent. The Spaniard arrived trusted by Potter and Roberts (the latter of whom’s influence has been entrenched in the club infrastructure despite Potter’s departure and the arrival of Michele de Bernadin under Maresca). He arrived in the summer of 2023 as number one, and he has thus far been entrusted with the starting spot in the majority. But despite being the Chelsea goalkeeper with the greatest number of appearances to his name amongst the department as it currently stands, until now, Sanchez had struggled to really make it the starting spot his own.
There has been no shortage of bodies in the department, with Chelsea recruiting a startlingly large number of goalkeepers over the last few seasons (peaking at a nine-man total department following the 2024 summer transfer window). Sanchez has at times found himself out of favour in place of Djordje Petrovic and Filip Jorgensen over the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaign. Neither of those shot-stoppers seemed to convince enough to permanently displace Sanchez, with the former recently joining Bournemouth on a permanent basis.
Rumours have swirled over the summer months so far that the Blues were looking to recruit AC Milan’s Mike Maignan to finally end the goalkeeper debate at Stamford Bridge. This recent Club World Cup campaign, however, seems to have come at exactly the right time for Sanchez. The Spaniard needed to make a statement, and he did exactly that over the last few weeks.
Sanchez's ability to make big saves wasn’t really in doubt. His standout moments with Chelsea so far have been marked by athletic sprawls and springs - the saves that always look good on the box (or on TikTok), and are equally good in technical execution. Where things stuttered for Sanchez, it was through errors that often came on the ball. Over the past two years, he has been something of a Jekyll and Hyde-esque goalkeeper, keeping the Blues in the game before a silly error in possession stained what was, in reality, 89 minutes of solid goalkeeping. ‘He makes the hard things look easy and the easy things look hard’, was one description of the Spaniard made by a commentator on a Premier League game last season.
But it’s consistency that really matters between the sticks simply because the position is so unforgiving. Sometimes, solidity across the board is more rewarding than extreme ability in one area and significant deficiency in another. The world’s best are defined by their genuine excellence in all areas. You’d be hard pressed to think of a notable deficiency in Alisson, Donnarumma, Neuer, or Oblak’s game, for example. Where those deficiencies do exist, however, they are often stark. Take David De Gea on 1v1s at Manchester United, for example, or perhaps Courtois’ ballplaying ability in his earlier days at Real Madrid. These deficiencies were stark, often because their team’s playing style forced them into such actions frequently.
Thus, so much of ‘consistency’ is about being consistent in the areas that demand the most of you as a goalkeeper. Sanchez’s errors on the ball have stood out because - as Enzo Maresca himself admitted - he demands competency in possession from his goalkeeper. The arrival of Liam Delap up front for Chelsea may bring some respite in this area. Pundits and fans were quick to point out the apparent effectiveness of Sanchez reverting to a longer-ball game which Delap’s presence leading the line undoubtedly aided.
With Chelsea heading back into the Champions League next season, one is tempted to draw a comparison in their current situation with early Klopp-era Liverpool sides. Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius had their merits but neither enjoyed the reassuring consistency that Alisson brought to the Liverpool defence (admittedly in collaboration with Virgil Van Dijk). During the pre-Klopp years, one of the Reds’ fundamental issues was repeatedly apparent in between the sticks. Their defensive foundation wasn’t stable. Even Pepe Reina - an excellent goalkeeper who helped usher ‘modern goalkeeper’ dynamics into the Premier League - wasn’t always the beacon of solidity that Liverpool needed in a turbulent era for the club.
There was undoubtedly improvement in Chelsea’s 2024/25 campaign compared to recent seasons, with the club’s approach on the pitch feeling a little more cohesive and reminiscent of a more thought-through plan. Sanchez was perhaps a victim in his first year at Chelsea of their ‘messiness’ in recent years bloated recruitment policy under new ownership extending to the goalkeeper department alongside managerial turnover and new ownership. It seems like consistency will be a key word around the entire club this coming season, and a more coherent foundation on and off the field may benefit Sanchez.
When Arsenal signed David Raya, Peter Schmeichel and David Seaman explained how, whilst competition is important in a goalkeeper department, instability or lack of certainty surrounding who the main man in the pecking order often affects more than one goalkeeper’s performances. The introduction of Petrovic and Jorgensen, both of whom came into the side in place of Sanchez at different points in the last two years, were signs of Chelsea’s haphazard strategy across the club.
Both were high-potential goalkeepers, but not signings that were coming in to obviously grasp the number one spot - yet still posed a challenge of that nature to Sanchez. They came from leagues that were not an equivalent standard to the Premier League and would undoubtedly need time to bed in.
From the outside appeared as if Chelsea were neither placing faith in Sanchez as a long term solution, nor willing to properly replace Sanchez and create a concrete pecking order. Consequently, Petrovic and Jorgensen both showed promise in their spells in the side, but neither played in such a way that they were aggressively cementing their place as number one. In Petrovic’s case, it was again concerns around his ball playing ability that saw him sent on loan to Strasbourg last season.
The club didn’t seem to be willing to properly back any of their goalkeepers to claim and maintain the starting spot. In this sense, John Obi Mikel’s comments on bringing in a new goalkeeper to ‘compete’ miss the point. Sanchez has had enough competition. What the Chelsea goalkeeper department hasn’t had is a genuinely clear number one.
In a way, had Chelsea recruited Mike Maignan this summer, they would have brought in that undisputed number one and ended speculation around the position. Sanchez could have then either assumed the number two persona, or chosen to move on elsewhere. Sources indicate that it was Chelsea’s hierarchy who explored the possibility of bringing Maignan into the club, rather than Maresca. The manager came to the defence of Sanchez on more than one occasion last season, explaining how errors were part of a goalkeeper’s life, comparing them to how many saves he made and how many times one of Chelsea’s outfielders lost the ball on a few different occasions.
And now, following Chelsea’s Champions League qualification and Club World Cup win, it seems as if things may be beginning to fall into place. More rhythm, more purpose, and more consistent performances outfield and between the sticks. Maresca’s faith in Sanchez may be beginning to pay off, and according to Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol, the Blues will retain Sanchez as their number one between the sticks.
Momentum is one of the key mental commodities for goalkeepers. It brings consistency, but it also tends to stem from managerial backing and team cohesion across the pitch. The Chelsea ship seems to be steadying in a quieting storm, and their number one may be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this.
