Chelsea owners make transfer decision over new centre-back and goalkeeper

14 hours ago 11

Published December 26, 2024 4:02pm Updated December 26, 2024 4:02pm

Chelsea’s owners have decided the club do not need a new centre-back and goalkeeper in the January transfer window, according to reports.

Some pundits have argued that Chelsea cannot be considered genuine Premier League title challengers this term – unless they upgrade those two positions next month.

Robert Sanchez is Chelsea’s current No.1 goalkeeper but he has faced criticism this season for some of his performances under Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea’s options in central defence has also been flagged as a weak area but The Athletic reports the Blues hierarchy doesn’t take the view that they are only a centre-back and ‘keeper away from landing the top-flight title.

That claim has been made by a number of different pundits, including Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, amid Chelsea’s rise up the table.

Carragher recently told Sky Bet’s The Overlap: ‘When I think of teams who win the title, the goalkeeper is such a big thing.

‘At Liverpool, the teams I played in, we never had a ‘keeper who was on the level of Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar or Petr Cech.

‘Liverpool got Alisson [after I retired] and they won the league. That’s my thing.

‘Chelsea have been so impressive this season. I just can’t imagine the goalkeeper (Robert Sanchez) lifting [the Premier League trophy].’

Fellow football pundit Shaun Wright-Phillips believes Chelsea never found an appropriate replacement for former star Thiago Silva in central defence.

Wright-Phillips told sportscasting.com: ‘They let Thiago Silva go, but they didn’t replace him. I think they need more experience in the defence.

‘They’re not struggling to score goals. That’s not a problem for them right now.

‘The problem is they’re conceding goals. If they can cut some of those mistakes then again, we see a different Chelsea.’