Ian Wright thinks Chelsea made a mistake by not signing former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to replace Robert Sanchez last summer.
Ramsdale enjoyed two successful seasons at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta but eventually fell down the pecking order following the arrival of David Raya from Brentford in August 2023.
After a season spent predominantly on the bench, the Englishman moved to Southampton this summer in search of regular minutes and to boost his hopes of remaining in the England squad.
However, Wright feels that Arsenal’s London rivals may have missed a trick by not trying to lure the 26-year-old to Stamford Bridge when he was looking to move.
‘You look at Chelsea now and offensively, everything is in order,’ the former Arsenal striker said on the Kelly and Wrighty show as he reflected on the Blues’ 4-3 win against Tottenham which further strengthened their title credentials.
‘I thought Jadon Sancho was very good, obviously, Cole Palmer is doing great stuff, but defensively they just need to tighten up everything.
‘I think now if they can get a top goalkeeper – I thought Ramsdale would have been perfect for them and that “Thiago Silva” experienced centre-half then I think Chelsea very much in this fight because for me they’ve got everything else.’
Despite bringing in Filip Jorgensen in the summer, new boss Enzo Maresca has made Robert Sanchez his first-choice keeper after the Spaniard was frozen out in favour of Djordje Petrovic under Mauricio Pochettino.
While Sanchez’s ball-playing capabilities are usually beneficial to Maresca’s style, the 27-year-old has sometimes given away chances on the ball, while his shot-stopping has left much to be desired at points during this season already.
And Wright is not the only one to have concerns about Sanchez’s long-termposition in the team, with Jamie Carragher suggesting Chelsea won’t mount a title charge unless they upgrade in their key defensive positions.
‘I still look at the goalkeeper [Robert Sanchez] and the two centre-backs. I can’t see a team winning the Premier League with that goalkeeper and without a standout centre-back,’ he told Sky Sports.
‘Man City won it with Ederson and Ruben Dias, Liverpool with Alisson and Virgil van Dijk and Chelsea with Petr Cech and John Terry.
‘I think this Chelsea are short in those areas.’
Despite repeated calls to drop Sanchez, Maresca has chosen to keep faith with his number-one goalie, instead suggesting that the Spaniard will only be dropped if he stops taking risks with his distribution.
‘If Robert makes a mistake, it’s not Robert’s problem, it’s my mistake because I asked that from Robert,’ Maresca said in late October.
‘I am very happy with Robert and the way he is playing, building from the back. In the moment he stops to do that, he is not going to play.
‘All the goal kicks we have and he passes the ball to Noni, and Pedro, that kind of ball that gives us many times chances to attack. Sometimes you make mistakes but it is not going to change the way we are going to play.’
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