Chelsea have been warned they will not be Premier League title contenders this season if they persist with Robert Sanchez as their first-choice goalkeeper.
Xabi Alonso’s side brought their pre-season to a close with an encouraging 3-1 win over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge.
It has been another summer of turnover in west London, with Alonso taking the reins as he looks to improve upon the Blues’ dismal tenth-place finish last season.
The Spaniard has received the club’s backing in his first transfer market, with Morgan Rogers arriving from Aston Villa for a record £117million fee along with Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Valentin Barco and Pep Chavarria.
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And Chelsea have also looked to address their lack of experience within the squad by signing Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck from Brentford and Brighton, respectively.
Former Scotland striker Ally McCoist has already tipped the Blues as his dark horses for this upcoming season, but ex-Arsenal striker Alan Smith is not sure Alonso’s side can truly contend with Sanchez in goal.
The Spaniard has never fully convinced since his £25m move from Brighton in 2023, making a number of high-profile errors throughout his three seasons at Stamford Bridge.
And speaking to Metro, Smith said of Sanchez: ‘He’s needed upgrading for a while, and it’s been a bit of a glaring shortfall in their lineup.
‘They’ve made efforts to strengthen the defence with Maxence Lacroix and a couple of younger defenders he’s brought in as full-backs.
‘But the keeper, if you want to challenge for the title, Sanchez isn’t the man, I don’t think.
‘They’ve spent a lot of money, haven’t they, Chelsea? Whether they’ve got any room to spend some more on a keeper, I don’t know, but Sanchez at the moment seems to be the number one.’
With Chelsea not tipped to contend, Smith instead thinks this season could once again be a two-horse race between defending champions Arsenal and Manchester City.
‘I think Man City are the key challenger [to Arsenal],’ he said via BestBettingSites.co.uk.
‘Obviously, they have a new manager, so that puts a little question mark in there about how Maresca can settle with his players, but I still see them being the only challenger.
‘There’s a whole host of others just below that, but I’d say it’s [between Arsenal and] City at the moment.’
Asked for his top-six prediction, he added: ‘I’ve got to go for Arsenal winning it again; let’s hope.
‘Then City. Manchester United, they finished third last year, and I think they’re going to be better off this year.
‘Carrick is getting his feet under the table, so maybe Man United third, Liverpool fourth, and Chelsea perhaps having a much better season than they did last time under Alonso.
‘They have made some good signings, so I’d see that as the top five, then that sixth spot I’d say Aston Villa are favourites.’
Chelsea get their season underway with a visit to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham in a west London derby.
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