Yahoo Sports Should Chelsea recall Arrizabalaga?
There was perhaps a sense of irony come Saturday evening when Robert Sanchez made a mistake that contributed to Chelsea's 3-1 defeat by Manchester City, with on-loan goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga having already kept a clean sheet for Bournemouth in a win that took them level on points with the Blues.
Sanchez's latest mishap once again shone a light on an area of the pitch Chelsea have struggled with since Todd Boehly and Clearklake Capital's takeover in 2022.
They inherited a club that already had the world's most expensive goalkeeper and another that had won the Champions League and Fifa Club World Cup just months earlier.
Despite that, they have since recruited four more, and have racked up an astonishing eight senior goalkeepers on their books.
And yet, it still feels like the position most in need of more transfer business.
Having recently recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell - who had been out in the cold at the beginning of the season - should Chelsea be looking at goalkeeping options already on their books but playing elsewhere?
While he too has caused his own headlines in the past, an experienced 30-year-old Arrizabalaga could be what Chelsea need to bring a sense of stability to an inexperienced backline.
With five, Sanchez is now joint-top of the list of keepers for errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season. Arrizabalaga on the other hand has made just one.
Despite having played five fewer games, the current Cherries shot-stopper has kept more clean sheets (five) than Sanchez (four).
He also just edges it in saves made per 90 minutes (3.4 to 3.6), total goals conceded (19 to 27) and overall save percentage with 75% compared to 72%.
One of the reasons Sanchez became, and has remained, as Maresca's number one is the Blues boss needs a goalkeeper to be able to play out from the back.
And while the Spaniard does attempt more passes per 90 than Arrizabalaga (34.5 to 28.1), their accuracy is still incredibly similar at 69.75% and 69.27% respectively.
There is often a noticeable sense of unease around the stadium when the ball is at Sanchez's feet and he appears to struggle when it comes to distribution further up the pitch.
In fact, the former Brighton keeper's long pass accuracy is well down on that of his Spanish counterpart at 29% compared to Arrizabalaga's 43%.
Chelsea have had a rich history of goalkeepers, and if they are to challenge those at the top in coming seasons it is clear they will need a world-class option.
Neither Sanchez or Arrizabalaga are likely to be that long term but, in the short term, they need someone to steady the defensive ship.
What do you think, Blues fans? Should the club look at bringing Kepa back? Or is Sanchez still the right choice?
