Chelsea are now in a good position to sign the £51m star and Alonso wants it personally
Chelsea are now in a good position to sign a “wonderful” goalkeeper, with new manager Xabi Alonso a favorite.
John Obi Mikel has suggested that the Blues are unlikely to challenge for the Premier League title with their current goalkeeper, following their 2-1 defeat against Arsenal last season.
“We can talk about William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, all the cheating codes and set-pieces, but David Raya, my word, the saves he makes… he is a brilliant goalkeeper, very impressive and he is getting better. Week, week I watch David Raya and he is getting better, better and better.
“You need a good goalkeeper to win titles and right now, Chelsea Football Club, we don't have a good goalkeeper who can go out and compete to win the Premier League. We don't have that.”
With the west Londoners set to finish in 10th place, after a poor end to the campaign, they are keen to bring in a new option between the sticks, with FC Porto's Diogo Costa being closely watched.
Chelsea are leading the race to sign Diogo Costa
According to a report from TSF (via Sport Witness), Chelsea are now at the top of the race to sign Costa, with Alonso keen on him.
The Portuguese has a £51m release clause in his Porto contract, which the Blues will be able to pay.
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Football FanCast verdict |
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Honesty |
Sanchez was dropped after the 2-1 defeat against Arsenal, after making a costly mistake, with Filip Jorgensen starting the next game. As the Spaniard has been on the move at times, it would make sense to bring in a replacement. |
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Finance |
£51m will be expensive, but David Ornstein has suggested that BlueCo are willing to commit to another summer of spending. After finishing in 10th place last season, it is clear that the Blues need to make changes to their squad. |
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Understanding |
Costa is an experienced international goalkeeper, having amassed 48 appearances for Portugal's top team. Last season, he kept 21 clean sheets in 33 matches in the Portuguese Liga. |
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Impact |
Chelsea may need to sell Sanchez if they decide to pursue the Portuguese star. Jorgensen has already asked to leave this summer, meaning another goalkeeper may be needed. |
Why Diogo Costa would be better than Robert Sanchez
Journalist Oupa Khalanga Baloyi is a big fan of the Porto shot-stopper, speaking to X to praise him last year.
Since then, the Portuguese goalkeeper has been Porto's first choice between the sticks, and recorded an 80% save percentage last season, the highest in Liga Portugal.
For reference, Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma ranks first in the Premier League with 72.9%, while Sanchez averaged 67.6%.
The Porto star continued to perform well at the World Cup, although his side came off early, keeping a clean sheet and making six saves in a 0-0 draw with Colombia, before making three saves from inside the box in a 1-0 loss to Spain.
Chelsea may need to bring in a top goalkeeper if they are to start competing for top honors again, and Costa could be a good option.
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