What next for Robert Sanchez?

Is Robert Sanchez regretting having such a tantrum over losing his place in the Brighton goal to Jason Steele yet?

Sanchez has found himself left out of the Albion squad who have travelled to the United States for the Premier League Summer Series.

And with an ever-decreasing number of top clubs looking for a new goalkeeper, his chances of securing a move appear to be dwindling by the week.

He now finds himself in limbo, unwanted by Roberto De Zerbi due to his attitude after being dropped and with other potential suitors no doubt wondering whether he is worth the hassle if he cannot hack being a number two.

Sanchez was first dropped by De Zerbi at the beginning of March. He made a high-profile, win-costing error away at Crystal Palace the previous month but even beforehand, his form over the 2022-23 season had been pretty sketchy.

Because the Palace mistake was so catastrophic, it often overshadows some of the other clangers Sanchez was responsible for.

Those who say he was demoted to number two based only on what happened at Selhurst forget moments like Everton away, where he gave away a totally unnecessary penalty in the final minute.

You could tell by the reaction of his teammates against the Toffees that they were pretty miffed to see their clean sheet bonus disappear because of Sanchez’s rashness.

He should have done better with at least three of the four goals Arsenal scored 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 Robert Sanchez.

In De Zerbi’s first game as Albion boss away at Liverpool, Sanchez punched a corner into back of Adam Webster for an own goal which gave the Redmen their third of the game.

It was a similar story as far back as Manchester United on the opening day of the campaign, another Sanchez flap gifting United their consolation.

Those afternoons at Anfield and Old Trafford sum Sanchez up perfectly. Either side of the Liverpool error, he produced a fine save from Mo Salah followed by a world class fingertip stop from a Trent Alexander-Arnold free kick in the final minute.

Against United, Sanchez had done brilliantly to deny Marcus Rashford. But after helping the Red Devils find the back of the net, he went to pieces and began fumbling everything.

Without Joel Veltman bailing out another Sanchez drop with a brilliant last ditch block, Brighton would not have won at the Theatre of Dreams for the first time in their history.

Sanchez is a mixed bag of saves which defy believe and mistakes which make you think of the great Graeme Smith. And whilst he is still young in terms of age for a goalkeeper, he is not in terms of experience.

If costly errors are still happening after nearly 100 games in the Premier League, you have to wonder whether they will always be a part of his makeup rather than a quirk that can be ironed out.

All of which brings us nicely onto what has happened these last five months. Essentially, Sanchez is not as good as he thinks he is; certainly not good enough to say he does not want to be part of the matchday squad if he is not number one, as happened for the final five games of the 2022-23 campaign.

Prior to that though and in fairness to Sanchez, he was described as being the model professional when initially replaced by Steele.

The reason the former star of Sunderland Till I Die was preferred by De Zerbi was because of his ability with the ball at his feet.

Nobody who has watched the two play for the Albion could argue that Steele has the edge on Sanchez in that particular department.

With Sanchez’s recent behaviour, we have since discovered that Steele is streets ahead in terms of professionalism too.

Steele has patiently awaited a first team chance for five years. He started out at the Albion behind Maty Ryan, David Button and Christian Walton and was then overtaken by Sanchez.

Not once did he complain, supporting everyone who was ahead of him. His redemption from unwitting Netflix comedy star to number one in a Brighton side who finished in the top six of the Premier League will go down as one the most heart warming and deserved turnarounds in Albion history.

The about turn in Sanchez’s short-lived good response to being dropped stems 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, Robert Sanchez gambled his Brighton future by refusing to play. It is a gamble which, so far, has not paid off.

At the time, Sanchez might have resonably expected to attract interest from three of the European Super League Elite Six.

Spurs seemed likely to dispense with Hugo Lloris in the summer, David De Gea was out of contract at United and Chelsea provided the double whammy of needing reinforcements between the sticks and employing Ben Roberts as their goalkeeper coach.

Since then, United have completed the £47.2 million signing of Andre Onana from Inter Milan. Spurs have signed Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli for £16.4 million.

Only Chelsea remain a possibility, but the Blues seem more intent on dragging out a slow-and-painful bidding process for Moises Caciedo than negotiating with Brighton over Robert Sanchez.

Had the Blues been inclined to listen to offers for Levi Colwill, then Sanchez could have been used as a makeweight in a deal.

Chelsea though are determined to keep Colwill, a stance which will have hardened following the news that Wesley Fofana has undergone anterior cruciate ligament surgery and will be out of action for several months.

In any case, would Sanchez want to move to Stamford Bridge to be number two to Kepa Arrizabalaga? Sanchez might have a strong relationship with Roberts, but will others at Chelsea have seen his unprofessional reaction to sitting on the bench and decide he is not a good team player?

With most of the European Super League Elite Six ruled out and Newcastle United possessing Nick Pope, the only moves away from Brighton in the Premier League available to Sanchez are sideways at best.

Look at the rest of last season’s top 10: Aston Villa have Emiliano Martinez and Bernd Leno at Fulham was one of the most successful signings of the previous summer.

Brentford could be a possibility with David Raya refusing to sign a new contract. The Bees though have indicated that they will not sell their number one unless their £40 million valuation is met.

If nobody does so, then Raya remains at the Gtech Stadium for one final season in 2023-24 before departing on a free transfer next summer.

Right now, it appears as though Sanchez’s eggs are in two baskets – Chelsea or a move abroad. A Spanish club could yet come in and rescue him, but would any be able to pay the fee Brighton would be after or put Sanchez on comparable wages to what he earns at the Amex? Most teams in Spain appear to be skint.

Paris Saint-Germain had been mentioned as a potential destination elsewhere, possibly by somebody who had been dreaming after eating too much stilton the night before.

Sanchez would be miles behind Gianluigi Donnarumma in the pecking order at Parc des Princes. And in the unlikely even Sanchez did find himself as number one, he is surely not good enough to help PSG and their Qatari sportswashing owners win the Champions League they so crave.

Most unlikely of all the potential future paths for Robert Sanchez right now is a reconciliation with De Zerbi and Brighton. Leandro Trossard discovered that De Zerbi does not tolerate poor attitudes lightly.

The £16 million summer signing of Bart Verbruggen has shown De Zerbi wants to move on from Sanchez, effectively relegating him to third choice at best.

It is a fall from grace almost as swift as that of Ryan, the man Sanchez replaced between the posts for the Albion back in December 2020.

Verbruggen and Steele will battle it out for the number one shirt this season. Tom McGill and Carl Rushworth have both been included in De Zerbi’s squad headed to the US in prefference to Sanchez.

Whereas Brighton might have reasonably expected to get anywhere upwards of £35 million for their number one Sanchez this time a year ago, now they have a player with a bad attitude whose value has diminished and a very obvious lack of clubs who need or want to sign him.

It is a bed which Sanchez has made for himself. The majority of Seagulls fans will have little sympathy for his plight.

Yet for the sake of the Albion and the player, hopefully said bed is one Sanchez is no longer lying in once the transfer window slams shut at the end of August.