Xabi Alonso once affirmed his satisfaction with the choices in Chelsea's goal. However, the Spanish strategist's view changed quickly after the victory over Fulham.
Robert Sanchez made two mistakes in Monday's match. These problems caused Chelsea to immediately look for a replacement and quickly reach an agreement to recruit Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa.
The fee is said to be only 7.5 million pounds. Martinez possesses superior experience after many years playing in the Premier League, and is also the number 1 goalkeeper of the Argentine national team.
However, Martinez is no longer at his peak form. The 33-year-old goalkeeper has shown signs of decline in the past 18 months and also made three mistakes leading to goals conceded last season.
Statistics do not even show the huge gap between Martinez and Sanchez. However, former Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop does not agree with this assessment.
You need someone with influence and Emi Martinez is definitely such a person. He is very good at handling the ball and I think he meets many Chelsea criteria.
Emi Martinez is an upgrade compared to Sanchez, those numbers hide weaknesses and the truth. Emi Martinez is a much better goalkeeper".
Even at this stage in his career, Emi Martinez is still ten times superior to Sanchez. There is no need to argue anymore".
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf also appreciates the psychological factor that Martinez can bring. He believes that Sanchez's instability has affected the confidence of Chelsea's defense in recent seasons.
If you have a goalkeeper you trust behind you, you can dedicate 100% of your strength.
With Levi Colwill and Maxence Lacroix in front of the goal, Chelsea expects Martinez's confidence to help stabilize the defense.
After the victory against Luton in the Carabao Cup, Alonso was asked about the decision to recruit Martinez even though Chelsea previously declared satisfaction with the current goalkeepers.
We are satisfied with the current squad. But I always say that we need to always be vigilant with every situation. There is still this time for us to make a decision.
Martinez's appearance may therefore mark Alonso's first notable change since he took over Chelsea. Robert Sanchez, who was trusted for a long time, is facing the risk of losing his position after only a disappointing performance.
