Robert Sánchez has long been regarded by so many as no more than a stop-gap for Chelsea between the posts, with errors and lapses of concentration so often undermining impressive runs of form. Enzo Maresca pivoted to Filip Jörgensen at one point last season, but the Dane’s egregious mistake at Villa Park rendered Sánchez’s job safe for the time being.
And while Chelsea were strongly linked with Mike Maignan and, to a lesser extent, Gianluigi Donnarumma in the summer, Maresca retained his faith in Sánchez after an excellent Club World Cup campaign.
