If Chelsea fans had not run out of patience with Robert Sanchez before their side’s 3-1 loss against Manchester City on Saturday, then they have now.
Robert Sanchez made another mistake between the sticks, coming out of his goal and entering no man’s land around the 68th minute.
By doing so, it allowed Erling Haaland to put Man City 2-1 up on the afternoon before Phil Foden killed the game in the 87th minute. Chelsea fans were not happy with Sanchez after his display against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, and that would not have changed following his costly error at the Etihad.
At this point, there must be at least one person at Chelsea who regrets not signing one of his compatriots over him.
Chelsea should have signed David Raya
Before bringing Sanchez to Stamford Bridge, the Blues actually had Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya on their radar, who was at Brentford at the time.
Chelsea held slight interest in Raya, but it was Sanchez whom they ended up with, while the 29-year-old joined Arsenal.
Many questioned Mikel Arteta for replacing Aaron Ramsdale with Raya, but his decision to do so has been justified.
The Spaniard was excellent for Arsenal last season, keeping 16 clean sheets in the Premier League. No shot-stopper recorded more.
Sanchez only managed three and lost his spot in the team to Djordje Petrovic after an injury. Fast forward to now, and Raya is still outperforming Sanchez and proving that he really should have been the goalkeeper Chelsea concentrated on signing.
How do David Raya and Robert Sanchez compare statistically?
When it comes to save percentage, Raya and Sanchez are quite close. In fact, the latter actually has a better percentage this campaign.
Sanchez’s is 76.3, while Raya’s is 75.3. However, Raya has kept more clean sheets than Sanchez and has not made nowhere near as many mistakes as his Spain teammate.
| Player | Games | Saves | Save percentage | Goals conceded | Clean sheets |
| David Raya | 23 | 56 | 75.3 | 21 | 8 |
| Robert Sanchez | 21 | 69 | 76.3 | 27 | 4 |
Sanchez’s latest gaffe against City was the fifth mistake he has made that has led to a goal this season. Raya is yet to make any.
Last term, Arteta described Raya as “magnificent” in one post-match interview with Sky Sports (via BBC Sport). Right now, that is certainly not an expression that Enzo Maresca can use with Sanchez.
