Two Chelsea replacements for Robert Sanchez named after damning Gary Neville verdict | OneFootball

Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson has named two goalkeepers he believes are capable of replacing Robert Sanchez at Stamford Bridge following Gary Neville urging Blues chiefs to sign a ‘top-class’ stopper in the summer.

Commenting after Sanchez’s poor performance in the defeat to London rivals Arsenal at the start of the month, Neville insisted the Chelsea were still short in three key areas of the pitch, with goalkeeper very much one of them.

“I flip between thinking they’re miles away and thinking if they can get a goalkeeper, an experienced centre-back and an experienced centre-forward they could be in business,” Neville said speaking after the Arsenal defeat.

“They have to keep players fit but they need a top-class goalkeeper, a top-class centre-back with experience and a top-class centre forward to accompany Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, not to replace them.”

As for Sanchez, Neville added: “I’m going to talk about the goalkeeper as well because he invites problems, every time I watch him my heart is in my mouth. He flaps at the Arsenal goal so for me Chelsea are three players short, they need players in those positions. I’ve got many thoughts about Chelsea and I still can’t quite work them out.”

The 28-year-old Spanish stopper has been Chelsea’s first-choice stopper over the last two seasons, but has made a number of high-profile errors during that time.

Sanchez was dropped for the last Premier League outing, a 4-1 win over Aston Villa, with Filip Jorgensen coming into the side as his replacement.

And, while Sanchez was back between the sticks for the FA Cup extra-time triumph at Wrexham, it’s the Dane who is likely to get the nod again for the Champions League clash with PSG in midweek.

While Johnson insists Sanchez should not be pushed out the door this summer, he still highlighted two goalkeepers who could come in and shine at Stamford Bridge.

“It’s very hard because form can change so quickly,” Johnson told BoyleSports.

“There have been times where Robert Sanchez has saved Chelsea in games and made incredible saves, but he does have that mistake in him.

“As we know, if the keeper makes a mistake, it usually, nine times out of ten, results in a goal. So it can be literally game-changing.

“But I don’t think he’s been bad enough to say, ‘right, you have to replace him’, because when he’s in form, I think he’s been fantastic.

“He just needs to bounce back now and regain his confidence. Then I think he’s absolutely fine. He’s not bad enough to think he’s a must-replace player.”

Johnson talks up Kelleher, Trafford

Turning his attentions to possible targets for Chelsea this summer, Johnson revealed his admiration for both Caoimhin Kelleher and James Trafford.

Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Kelleher has enjoyed an excellent first season at Brentford after spending six years as Alisson’s understudy, while Trafford is already being linked with a move away from Manchester City less than 12 months on from his £31m return to the club from Burnley.

“Caoimhin Kelleher would definitely be the less risky option right now,” Johnson added. “And again, that’s not to say who’s going to be the better player in two or three years, but Kelleher, anytime he was called upon for Liverpool, was fantastic.

“He’s now still doing another good job at Brentford. So if I had to pick a target now for Chelsea, it’d definitely be him.

“He’s done it with Liverpool, a big club in big games and big tournaments. So I’d say that’s the safest option.

“James Trafford to Chelsea? It worked with Cole Palmer, didn’t it?

“Even that one at the time was a surprise to me, because I’ve never really seen him play before, to be honest. And the same with the goalkeeper, I’ve not seen him play.

“But in terms of could it come off? Absolutely it can. It’d be unlikely, I guess, because it’s a big role to be the number one goalkeeper at Chelsea.

“You normally need a lot of experience, and you can only get experience by gaining experience, obviously. So it could be risky.

“Even if he was to sign and do a couple of years behind a number one and learn the club and learn everything that way, then of course in three years time or something, then he could easily be the main man.”