Arsenal legend says Chelsea must do something ‘very rare’ to win a trophy this season
Chelsea’s transfer strategy has come under extreme scrutiny in recent months and despite the money invested, there is still a glaring issue in the squad.
Reports suggest Enzo Maresca wants to replace Robert Sanchez after a string of worrying performances to mark the start of Chelsea‘s 2025-26 campaign.
Former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official Keith Hackett believes Chelsea should fine Sanchez after his red card against Manchester United.
This dismissal meant that Sanchez became the quickest Chelsea player to be sent off in Premier League history, as his recent poor form continues to be the centre of attention for the Blues.
Chelsea must sign ‘top’ goalkeeper to win trophies
Speaking to Sky Sports, Paul Merson argues that Chelsea will never sign a world-class goalkeeper, given their transfer model of signing young players and selling them for a major profit.
Merson said: “The way the club works, there’s no profit in spending big on an established goalkeeper.
They buy young players to move them on again. Very rarely you buy a goalkeeper for a lorry load of money and move them on for a profit. But I think they have missed a trick, you need a goalkeeper who will save you points.
Merson then criticised Chelsea goalkeeper Sanchez, highlighting a tendency to make poor decisions at key moments and how this is holding the Blues back.
“Robert Sanchez is a brilliant shot-stopper, but his decision making is poor. He’s always got a mistake in the locker,” Merson said.
“That’s a problem. He has games where his shot-stopping is off the charts but the thing that separates the top goalkeepers from the rest is they don’t make mistakes – or if they do it’s once in a blue moon.
“No club has ever won anything without a top goalkeeper. It’s very rare. You never look at clubs that win things anywhere in Europe and say the goalkeeper is the weak link – that never happens.
“Chelsea have a model that they stick to.”
Chelsea almost signed Alisson Becker in 2018
Alisson Becker was a target for Chelsea in 2018 before the Brazilian made the £67million move to Anfield, which has proven to be a massive loss.
The former AS Roma star has since gone on to stake a claim for being the best goalkeeper in the world over the last seven years. In his time at Liverpool, Alisson has won the Premier League twice, the Champions League and a handful of domestic cups to boot.
Instead, Chelsea spent £71.6m to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga which turned out to be somewhat of a fiasco before they eventually sold him to Arsenal in the summer for a miserly £5m.
The Spaniard’s transfer to Stamford Bridge is arguably Chelsea’s biggest transfer failure among a long list of poor investments in recent years.