Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has hit back at suggestions that his side need a new goalkeeper to replace Robert Sanchez, insisting that he the 28-year-old is ‘doing pretty damn well’.
Sanchez joined Chelsea from Brighton in 2023 after losing his starting place under former Seagulls boss Roberto de Zerbi, and has struggled to win over the support of his club.
While there have been repeated calls from within the Stamford Bridge faithful to replace Sanchez, it appears now that Boehly has no intention of answering these critics – or suggestions that he needs a more experienced squad.
‘Sanchez is doing pretty damn well right now,’ a bullish Boehly said at an event in Australia this week, adding: ‘Reece James has become an unbelievable leader.’
This response risks infuriating sections of his club’s fanbase, who have witnessed the turbulent tenure of the Spaniard’s since arriving in west London.
Although Sanchez’s stats largely suggest that he is on a similar level to some of the other top goalkeepers in the Premier League, the numbers don’t always tell the full story.
Sanchez joined Chelsea from Brighton in 2023 after losing his starting place under former Seagulls boss Roberto de Zerbi, and has struggled to win over the support of his new club
A positional miscalculation against Manchester City by Sanchez last season was seized upon by Erling Haaland – who lofted the ball over his head to give Pep Guardiola’s side the lead
His high-profile errors have proven costly for his team, not least his fifth-minute red card for bringing down Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo this season which cost Chelsea the game
This season he has conceded just nine goals in the Premier League, the joint-second best record in the top-flight alongside Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson and behind only Arsenal’s David Raya. His five clean sheets are bettered only by the Arsenal shot-stopper as well.
These numbers are pretty consistent throughout his time in west London. His 72.6 per cent save percentage last season was the fourth-highest in the Premier League for goalkeepers to have played at least 500 minutes.
For Chelsea fans though, Sanchez’s decision-making has often put his team under fire, and it is because of this that they wish to overlook his otherwise largely stellar record.
Last season against Wolves, instead of punching a ball clear he dropped the ball at the feet of one of their players, and Chelsea were duly punished. Days later, a positional miscalculation against Manchester City was seized upon by Erling Haaland – who lofted the ball over his head to give Pep Guardiola’s side the lead.
His Sanchez’s five errors which led to goals were the joint-highest in the league in 2023-24, along with Ipswich’s Arijanet Muric and Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen.
It seems these high-profile mistakes have continued into this season, too, not least his fifth-minute red card after charging down Bryan Mbeumo. This undoubtedly changed the narrative of the game, with United then going two goals ahead at half-time before eventually clinching a 2-1 victory.
Boehly, who was speaking to the Australian Financial Review, has not been afraid to make controversial decisions ever since he took charge of the west London club in May 2022.
He has spent nearly £1.5billion on transfer fees, including more than £100million on both Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, prioritising bringing in younger players on long-term contracts in a bid to create a squad for the future.
Boehly has no intention of answering Sanchez’s critics, or to bring in more experienced players
Boehly bought Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for £50million in 2022 to link up with Thomas Tuchel – only for the German to be sacked after six Premier League games in charge
Chelsea’s vision has looked muddled at times, though, with Boehly already onto his fifth manager in Enzo Maresca.
There have also been plenty of questionable transfers, not least the £50million signing of Raheem Sterling, who was brought in to link up with Champions League-winning coach Thomas Tuchel – only for the German to be sacked after six Premier League games into the season.
Sterling now continues to train alone at the club after being unable to find a move this summer, while Maresca is unrelenting in his desire to keep him away from the squad.
While Chelsea once again spent the second-highest amount in the the latest summer transfer window, billing at around £315m and surpassed only by Liverpool – Boehly has now also hinted that his spending may soon slow down now that Chelsea have a squad that will be ‘together for a long time’.
‘You’re going to continue to watch our team evolve and grow,’ he told AFN. ‘We’ve got them together for a long time. I’m pretty excited about what the future looks like.’
He also added that he has needed a thick skin to deal with the intensity of opinions regarding his tenure, saying: ‘Sometimes my wife and my family take it differently than I take it. I just find it’s one more person that doesn’t know what they’re talking about.’
