Chelsea urged to solve Robert Sanchez issue before making Premier League title challenge

Chelsea completed their pre-season preparations with a convincing 3-1 win over Real Sociedad, but former Arsenal striker Alan Smith believes a weakness in goal could prevent them from becoming genuine contenders for the Premier League title.

The match at Stamford Bridge was Xabi Alonso’s first appearance in front of the Chelsea supporters since taking charge. Alonso was appointed to improve on a disappointing campaign in which the club finished 10th in the Premier League.

Despite receiving significant backing in the transfer market, Chelsea continue to face questions over their goalkeeping options. Smith says the club will struggle to compete for the title if Robert Sanchez remains their first-choice goalkeeper.

“San​chez has needed to improve for some time, and it has become an obvious weakness in Chelsea’s team,” Smith told the Metro. “The club have worked to strengthen their defence by signing Maxence Lacroix and younger defenders, but if you want to compete for the league title, I don’t think Sanchez is the right goalkeeper.”

Chelsea signed Sanchez from Brighton for £25m in 2023, but the Spain international has not produced consistently convincing performances during his three seasons at the club. He has also made several costly mistakes, and started Chelsea’s final friendly against Real Sociedad.

Smith accepts that Chelsea may have limited room for further spending after a busy transfer window.

“Chelsea have spent a lot of money, and I don’t know whether they have the capacity to spend more on a goalkeeper, but Sanchez appears to be the first choice at the moment,” he added.

Chelsea’s summer recruitment has included the £117m signing of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, as well as Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Valentin Barco and Pep Chavarria. The squad has also been strengthened with the experience of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.

The victory over Real Sociedad provided an encouraging conclusion to Chelsea’s preparations and offered Alonso a positive first home appearance. However, the uncertainty surrounding Sanchez means the club still have a major decision to make before the new season begins.

Some observers have suggested Chelsea could be the surprise package in the Premier League, particularly after the level of investment in the squad. Smith, however, does not expect Alonso’s side to be among the main challengers for the title.

He believes the race will be led by Arsenal and Manchester City, with City representing the most serious threat to the reigning champions.

“I see Manchester City as Arsenal’s main competitor,” said Smith. “There is a question mark because there is a new manager, Maresca, but I still believe they are the only team capable of threatening them.”

Smith also selected Arsenal to win the Premier League title again. For Chelsea, the immediate priority will be to ensure that their strength in other areas is not undermined by continued uncertainty over who should lead the defence from the goalmouth.