Chelsea were very close to replacing Robert Sanchez this summer but ultimately did not. That might very well have been a mistake. For the most part, the Spaniard has been pretty good. But as we saw against Manchester United, he still remains error-prone, as proven by his red card in the 5th minute, which gifted the game to Ruben Amorim's side at Old Trafford.
You simply cannot be a solid goalkeeper four times out of five and then cost your team the fifth game. That cannot be the case at clubs like Chelsea.
Chelsea made a mistake not going for someone like Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian was crucial to helping Manchester City get a draw against Arsenal at the weekend, pulling off numerous world-class saves.
We get the desire to have a goalkeeper who can play out from the back but that cannot be your main focus when picking someone between the posts. You cannot get lost in the tactical details and overlook the fundamentals. It is a classic case of losing the forest for the trees.
Chelsea tipped to sign world-class goalkeeper to replace Robert Sanchez
On the other hand, as reported by the Express, Maresca is reportedly a fan of Mike Maignan and sees him as the ideal fit for his tactical game plan. On the other hand, there has been no progress on a new contract to keep the Frenchman at AC Milan, giving Chelsea an opportunity to reignite their pursuit.
Of course, for that to matter, Maresca will have to remain Chelsea manager by the time the next summer transfer window comes around. If this proves to be an unsuccessful campaign, there is every possibility that the Italian will be shown the exit door. Hopefully that is not a situation we find ourselves in.
As for Chelsea as a club, it feels like they are far too eager to reinvent the wheel and not enough attention is paid to getting the basics right. When your best centre-back gets seriously injured in pre-season, you sign one in the summer. When your goalkeeper proves error-prone over two seasons, you bring in someone to replace him. When a key striker gets injured, you don't let another one leave on deadline day for a highly improbable 'obligation' to buy.
The focus perpetually seems to be on next season, and not on this one, which is not what winning clubs should do. It is very clear that the Club World Cup papered over a lot of cracks, which might have grown deeper away from sight. If this season proves to be a failure, questions need to be asked of the sporting directors as well, under whose vision, top four has become a luxury despite spending so much money.