Arsenal legend Ian Wright thinks Chelsea made a mistake by not signing Aaron Ramsdale from the Gunners to replace Robert Sanchez in the summer.
Ramsdale left Arsenal in the summer transfer window for a reported £25m to Premier League rivals Southampton with the England international struggling to get into Mikel Arteta’s side after the arrival of David Raya.
Chelsea have been massively improved this season compared to the last two with Enzo Maresca guiding them to second place in the Premier League table, four points behind leaders Liverpool, who have one game in hand.
With Nicolas Jackson showing impressive form this season, easing pressure to sign a new centre-forward, it is the goalkeeping department that many see as one of the Blues’ weaknesses.
Sanchez doesn’t always instill confidence and Arsenal legend Wright thinks Chelsea need a new goalkeeper to make sure they can challenge Liverpool for the title.
The former Arsenal striker said on the Kelly and Wrighty show: “You look at Chelsea now and offensively, everything is in order.
“I thought Jadon Sancho was very good, obviously, Cole Palmer is doing great stuff, but defensively they just need to tighten up everything.
“I think now if they can get a top goalkeeper – I thought Ramsdale would have been perfect for them and that ‘Thiago Silva’ experienced centre-half then I think Chelsea very much in this fight because for me they’ve got everything else.”
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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher agrees with Wright that the goalkeeper will have to be replaced long-term, while he’s also not sure about their two centre-backs.
Carragher told Sky Sports: “I still look at the goalkeeper [Robert Sanchez] and the two centre-backs. I can’t see a team winning the Premier League with that goalkeeper and without a standout centre-back.
“Man City won it with Ederson and Ruben Dias, Liverpool with Alisson and Virgil van Dijk and Chelsea with Petr Cech and John Terry.
“I think this Chelsea are short in those areas.”
Chelsea boss Maresca has resisted some calls to make a change in net and spoke in October about Sanchez only being dropped if he stops taking risks.
Maresca said: “If Robert makes a mistake, it’s not Robert’s problem, it’s my mistake because I asked that from Robert.
“I am very happy with Robert and the way he is playing, building from the back. In the moment he stops to do that, he is not going to play.
“All the goal kicks we have and he passes the ball to Noni, and Pedro, that kind of ball that gives us many times chances to attack. Sometimes you make mistakes but it is not going to change the way we are going to play.”
