Xabi Alonso Hints At Preferred Chelsea Goalkeeper Amid Sanchez & Penders Battle | OneFootball

Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is one of many set to depart this summer. Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

Xabi Alonso may have indicated his preferred Chelsea goalkeeper option amid competition between Robert Sanchez and Mike Penders.

With Filip Jorgensen on the verge of joining Strasbourg on loan this summer, Sanchez and Penders are expected to compete for the number one spot at Chelsea this season.

Sanchez has been Chelsea’s starting goalkeeper since joining from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer of 2023, but his inconsistency has cost him his spot on several occasions.

This time, however, the 28-year-old will have real competition from highly-rated young goalkeeper Penders.

Alonso is certainly satisfied with having these two as his options.

“I am very happy with Rob and Mike, who had a great season at Strasbourg,” said Alonso about his goalkeepers in a press conference on Friday.

“Rob has big experience. To have this security in goal is important.”

The Chelsea manager's comment suggested that Sanchez's experience may have given him the edge over Penders.

But how do these two compare statistically?

Sanchez and Penders comparison

The two goalkeepers were quite close in terms of shot-stopping in their respective league competitions last season.

Sanchez kept nine clean sheets from 35 Premier League games for Chelsea, while Penders recorded eight in 33 Ligue 1 games for Strasbourg.

Sanchez made a total of 98 saves with a 67.6 per cent success rate, very similar to Penders’ 108 saves with a 69.7 per cent success rate.

Penders will be hoping to make a positive impression under Alonso as he pushes for the number one spot at Chelsea. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Both conceded 47 goals last term in their respective league, although Penders faced significantly more shots on target (420) compared to Sanchez (375).

On-ball prowess is where Penders is quite ahead.

Sanchez has improved quite significantly in his deliveries, but Penders is regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe with the ball at his feet.

Penders had an 86 per cent accuracy rate from 1,400 attempted passes, while Sanchez had just 66.7 per cent from 1,302 passes.

The younger goalkeeper also had a better long pass accuracy at 44.8 per cent compared to Sanchez’s 32.1 per cent.

As Alonso pointed out, however, Sanchez has the Premier League appearance that Penders lacks.

Penders has only had two seasons of senior football under his belt as a regular starter, one of which is in a relatively less competitive Belgian Pro League with Genk.

Having just turned 21 last week, Penders will have time to develop and learn in this Chelsea squad.

There are plenty of cup games for the Belgium international to play in, even if Sanchez remains the starting goalkeeper in league games.

Alonso's decision to give Sanchez and Penders 45 minutes each in the pre-season defeat to Juventus also suggested that he is still assessing his options.

As for the third goalkeeper spot, it will likely be assigned to either Teddy Sharman-Lowe or Gabriel Slonina.