Robert Sanchez joins Chelsea for £25m

It would appear that the desperation of Chelsea to become Brighton & Hove Albion II extends far enough for the Blues to pay £25 million for the Seagulls’ third choice goalkeeper.

This time last year, Robert Sanchez was undisputed number one at the Amex. Fast forward 12 months and he departs having fallen behind Jason Steele and new £16 million signing Bart Verbruggen in the pecking order, after refusing to sit on the bench for the final five games of the 2022-23 season.

It is a sad way for Sanchez to exit the Albion having spent a decade at the club progressing from academy to first team.

His ego though has gotten the better of him and once he threw his toys out the pram about Roberto De Zerbi preferring Steele’s superior ball playing ability, there was unlikely to be a way back for Sanchez.

Sanchez’s rise to Brighton number one was even more rapid than his fall from grace. Graham Potter dropped a major surprise when jettisoning Maty Ryan in favour of a 23-year-old whose previous first team experience extended as far as non-descript loan spells in League Town with Forest Green Rovers and League One at Rochdale.

The decision from Potter proved inspired. After setting a club-record for worst ever start to a top flight season of just two wins in 18 matches, the promotion of Sanchez and the return of Pascal Gross to the starting XI led to much improved form in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign.

For 28 months following his usurping of Ryan, Sanchez was undroppable. He impressed with his confidence and ability to claim high balls into the box. Some of his shot stopping beggared belief.

Sanchez received his first call up to the Spain international squad ahead of Euro 2020 (in 2021), less than six months after his Premier League debut.

He was part of Luis Enrique’s side who reached the semi finals of the tournament and went to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

But despite being so highly rated, Sancehz always had the potential for a major clanger in him. Most Brighton fans tended to ignore this trait initially; the bizarre hatred for Ryan meant Sanchez could never be seen to do wrong on account of the fact he was not an Australian bloke called Maty.

The 2022-23 season brought increased scrutiny of Sanchez, however. There were goal-costing mistakes away at Manchester United and Liverpool, a flapped cross causing Alexis Mac Allister to put through his own net against the Red Devils followed by a ball punched into the back of Adam Webster which rebounded in at Anfield.

Sanchez should have done better with at least three of the four goals Arsenal plundered at the Amex on New Year’s Eve.

Aston Villa scored twice from two shots on target on their visit to Brighton, the second of which crept beyond Sanchez.

His own teammates were visibly angry at him for giving away a braindead penalty in the final minute away against Everton, denying the Albion a clean sheet.

Then of course there was the biggest bollock of the lot; a high-profile, win-costing error away at Crystal Palace of all places.

It was the worst mistake from a Brighton goalkeeper since Wayne Henderson at Plucky Little Bournemouth in 2007.

Sanchez was dropped the following month. Initially, he took the decision well. De Zerbi even praised his professional reaction.

The about turn in Sanchez’s short-lived good response to being dropped stemmed from the fact he returned for the 2-1 win at Chelsea in April and kept his place for the FA Cup semi final at Wembley.

When he was then dropped again having given two good performances, Sanchez told De Zerbi he did not want to be involved if he was only going to be a substitute.

Quite how that attitude chimes with Sanchez going from Brighton to Chelsea remains to be seen. He will almost certainly be number two at Stamford Bridge to Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Kepa was one of the only success stories for the Blues last season, rediscovering the ability which had seen Chelsea pay £72 million for his services in 2018.

Brighton fans familiar with the coaching ability of Ben Roberts were not overly surprised by Kepa’s transformation.

Roberts had demonstrated in his seven years as goalkeeper coach at Brighton before slithering off along with Glow Up Graham and the rest that he was one of the best in the business.

David Stockdale, Ryan and then Sanchez all improved drastically working with Roberts. Once Roberts left the Albion, Sanchez’s big and noticeable mistakes seemed to increase in frequency.

A reunion with Roberts at Chelsea can help Sanchez get a career which has stalled these past few months at Brighton back on track.

Sanchez always looked a decent mid table Premier League goalkeeper. If he were able to eliminate the frequent errors from his game, he could go higher than that.

Brighton must be cautiously optimistic that Sanchez can reach his potential away at Chelsea as they are said to have inserted a sizeable sell on clause.

The Blues meanwhile have put Sanchez on a seven-year contract. Is that a show of faith or simply a useful tool for bending financial fair play rules?

As for the fee, the Albion can be very pleased to have brought in £25 million. Brighton have effectively replaced a wantaway goalkeeper with one in Verbruggen who is better suited to DeZerbiBall whilst pocketing £9 million in the process.

Good business all round.