Why goalkeeper Sanchez could be Chelsea’s smartest signing

Chelsea’s spending spree has seen them bring a string of expensive superstars to Stamford Bridge, but their smartest signing might turn out to be a £25m goalkeeper who was out of favour at his previous club.

When Robert Sanchez arrived from Brighton in August, it wasn’t immediately obvious to me why Chelsea would want him, or even whether he would play.

I thought Sanchez was a decent keeper, sure, but his statistics certainly didn’t suggest he would be an upgrade on Kepa Arrizabalaga and he seemed an unlikely choice as a number one for a club chasing a return to the Champions League places by rebuilding on a big budget.

So far, though, Sanchez has been both of those things. Not only has he started every game, he has been playing extremely well. Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario (77.8%) and Liverpool’s Alisson (76.3%) are the only keepers with a higher save percentage in the Premier League than his 75%.

I am not just talking about his saves, though, because the positive effect he’s had on a team which is in transition has been far greater than that.

Let’s not get carried away, because Mauricio Pochettino’s side is clearly still taking shape, but while they initially struggled to score goals and are still yet to fully click in attack, they have already appeared far more solid at the back than they did last season.