5 Robert Sanchez replacements that Chelsea MUST target after latest howlers | OneFootball

After being at fault for both of Fulham’s goals, doubts are again being raised about Robert Sanchez’s place in the Chelsea team with fans and pundits suggesting the club will win nothing with him between the sticks.

Gary Neville led the criticism of the 28-year-old, who has never truly convinced in his three years at the West London club.

Another two howlers on Monday night at Craven Cottage have Chelsea fans hoping the club will dip into the transfer market before the window closes but who is a realistic option?

Here are five shot-stoppers Chelsea should sign to replace Sanchez.

Gregor Kobel

The Dortmund goalkeeper has been linked with Chelsea before and is a move that makes a lot of sense.

He won the Bundesliga golden glove last season, keeping 15 clean sheets in the 34-game season, and while the German club will not want to let their first-choice keeper go so close to the deadline, the fact he has just two years remaining on his deal could convince them to cash in.

He’s 28, still well before a keeper’s usual prime, and could be a mainstay in the Chelsea team for years to come.

Emi Martinez

At 33, the potential signing of Martinez would be a stop-gap for Chelsea but after Sanchez’s performance on Monday, it could be a needs-must situation for Xabi Alonso.

The positive with Martinez is you know what you’re getting – a Premier League-ready keeper who can also act as a senior figure and leader for the team – even if his age means you will not get that for long.

Martinez was left out of the Villa squad with Marco Bizot starting and new signing Zion Suzuki on the bench, suggesting his time in Birmingham is coming to an end and so he could be available for a reasonable fee.

Diogo Costa

If Chelsea fans had their way, a lot of them would pick Diogo Costa to be their new goalkeeper.

What the Porto goalkeeper really excels at is saving shots. He prevented 80% of the efforts he faced last season and this season has saved all seven shots on target that he has faced.

He is also excellent with his feet and provides a level of calm that Sanchez very much does not. As an added bonus, he also has a fantastic penalty-saving record.

He has a release clause of £51m, which would make him the third most-expensive goalkeeper of all-time, but Chelsea would be confident he would turn out more similar to Alisson than Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Signing him would go a long way to fixing Chelsea’s defensive problems.

Bart Verbruggen

Chelsea have got Brighton’s bank details saved so why not dip back into that market for Bart Verbruggen?

The 24-year-old feels a level below the likes of Kobel and Costa but he has kept 27 clean sheets in his 107 Brighton games and saved 70% of the shots he faced last season.

Verbruggen is only 24 too and so will likely improve in the years to come but Brighton would likely ask for a big fee. When has that ever stopped Chelsea before though?

Marco Carnesecchi

The Atalanta keeper was linked with Chelsea around the time Alonso was appointed as he was reportedly put on a shortlist by the new manager.

For whatever reason, Chelsea have not made a move for any of the names on that shortlist as of yet but Carnesecchi did win player of the season for Atalanta last campaign.

Chelsea are not the only ones interested, with Bayern Munich said to be sniffing around. But reports in Italy suggest Atalanta would want an enormous fee to even listen to offers and so Chelsea may look elsewhere.