Enzo Maresca told to make brutal decision on Chelsea star despite FIFA award

Chelsea won yet another trophy on Sunday as they lifted the Club World Cup following an impressive 3-0 win over PSG, with keeper Robert Sanchez awarded the Golden Glove thanks to his displays in goal

Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has urged the club to sign a new “top goalkeeper” despite the impressive displays of Robert Sanchez during the Club World Cup.

Sanchez has often irked Chelsea fans with some high profile errors during his two seasons at Stamford Bridge but has largely remained first choice despite competition from back-up options Filiip Jorgensen.

He has been fantastic this summer in the United States and stood out again during the 3-0 win over PSG in the final as he kept a clean sheet.

The 27-year-old joined from Brighton for around £20m, though he has been inconsistent in goal and was even dropped by boss Enzo Maresca at the start of the year after some costly errors against Manchester City and Wolves.

But Sanchez appears to have turned things around since then and was awarded the Golden Glove at the Club World Cup this summer following some superb stops throughout.

READ MORE: Reece James delivers FIFA huge Club World Cup compliment – but calls for changeREAD MORE: Enzo Maresca names moment he knew Chelsea would beat PSG in Club World Cup final

However, Chelsea icon Mikel still isn’t convinced about Sanchez and has urged his former club to sign a new shot-stopper who is a level above to ensure they can keep up with the demands of Champions league football.

“I still believe we do need a top, top goalkeeper,” he told DAZN while speaking as a pundit at the MetLife Stadium.

“Robert Sanchez had a brilliant game today but going into the new season with the Champions League and the Premier League I think you still need another top goalkeeper that is going to come in and compete with him. Healthy competition is important and we’ve seen that with the signing of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.”

Chelsea have been exploring moves for a new goalkeeper this summer after having a bid rejected by AC Milan for France international Mike Maignan.

Sanchez has made a total of 61 appearances for Chelsea and still managed 32 starts for the Blues last season despite his difficulties.

Chelsea have had a number of problems with first choice goalkeepers in recent years after signing Kepa Arrizabalaga for a record £72m in 2018, but the Spaniard struggled and made a series of errors himself.

Edouard Mendy replaced him as the Blues’ first choice in 2020 and looked to be the club’s top keeper for years to come before leaving for Al-Ahli in 2023.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.