Robert Sanchez is now a Chelsea player, with the Blues paying £25 million to sign the Spanish international from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Robert Sanchez is now officially a Chelsea player. The Blues have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of the Spanish international. And they have shelled out £25 million to sign the player from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Robert Sanchez has had an intriguing career thus far, as he does not have many outings to show for his age. The 25-year-old has only turned out 120 times thus far in his professional career. Ninety of those appearances came for Brighton & Hove Albion, where he rose to prominence after usurping Mat Ryan.
The Spanish international has a solid record of 29 clean sheets in those appearances for Brighton. Meanwhile, Sanchez has also turned out twice for La Roja, making his debut in September 2021. However, the Spaniard’s stock fell midway through the 2022/23 season, with Roberto De Zerbi relegating him to the bench.
The Brighton manager pinpointed Sanchez’s lack of ball-playing skills to pick Jason Steele over him. So as the summer transfer window arrived, the 25-year-old was facing an uncertain future at the Amex Stadium. And the writing was on the wall once Bart Verbruggen joined Brighton earlier this summer. That is when Chelsea arrived on the scene to secure his services.
Rob's rise to the top! 🔵 pic.twitter.com/Nb0PQCIAmB
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 5, 2023
The Blues have parted ways with Edouard Mendy this summer, with the Senegalese international moving to Saudi Arabia. In addition, young goalkeeping prodigy Gabriel Slonina is moving to KAS Eupen on loan. So Kepa Arrizabalaga was the only recognised shot-stopper in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
Sanchez thus emerged as a viable target for Chelsea, with the 25-year-old Spanish international quickly agreeing to personal terms. The West London club did not waste time finding a consensus with Brighton over the transfer fee. And a report by BBC has claimed that the Blues are paying £25 million to secure his services.
Meanwhile, the Spaniard has signed a seven-year contract running until June 30, 2023. And he will fancy his chances of becoming the first-choice goalkeeper for Chelsea in the upcoming season. However, Kepa should initially be ahead of his compatriot in the pecking order.
