How Chelsea’s new goalkeeper Robert Sanchez compares to Kepa Arrizabalaga

Chelsea's signing of Edouard Mendy in 2020 was hailed as an astute piece of business. Joining the Blues for £22m, the goalkeeper made an immediate impact at Stamford Bridge and even helped propel the club to their second Champions League triumph.

Mendy kept nine clean sheets in 12 European matches on the way to lifting the trophy, impressing thoroughly in his debut season in place of the inconsistent Kepa Arrizabalaga.

However, the good times couldn't last forever. Mendy's decline was particularly noticeable last season as a number of errors and unconvincing performances pushed him out of the team, with Kepa once again returning to Chelsea's starting lineup.

Mendy has since departed for Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia and new boss Mauricio Pochettino has moved for £25m Brighton stopper Robert Sanchez to replace him. The Spanish goalkeeper is expected to compete with his compatriot and new teammate Kepa for a starting spot, leaving Pochettino with a big decision to make before the Blues' opener against Liverpool in the Premier League.

So, how do Sanchez and Kepa compare between the sticks?

Shot stopping

With a little help from FBref, WhoScored and the Premier League, it's possible to analyse the differences and similarities between Chelsea's two goalkeepers in England's top flight.

The Spaniards have both played a comparable amount of English top-flight games and boast fairly similar statistics in a number of shot-stopping categories. Kepa is slightly more experienced having featured more readily in the Premier League, but both goalkeepers have several seasons at the highest level under their belts.

It appears that Sanchez is the slightly stronger shot-stopper with a better save percentage than Kepa. During his first season at Chelsea in particular, Kepa was consistently criticised for not keeping fairly routine shots out of the back of the net, an aspect of his game which significantly improved last season. He even won the Premier League's Save of the Season award for his excellent stop against Aston Villa.

However, Kepa does boast more clean sheets and a higher shutout percentage than Sanchez, as well as a better save rate from the penalty spot. Kepa has usually played in a higher-performing side than Sanchez which could excuse the discrepancy in the data, however, Chelsea's number featured in a significantly worse team last season as the Blues dropped six places below Brighton.

Both goalkeepers rank lower than a number of their 'Big Six' counterparts in this department though. For example, Liverpool's Alisson has a save percentage of 74.5%, while former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea boasted a ratio of 73.3%.

Passing

Looking at last season, it's clear that Kepa is more comfortable with the ball at his feet than Sanchez. One of Sanchez's strengths since arriving in the Brighton team has been his ability to help managers play out from the back, but he struggled last term. Roberto de Zerbi even dropped him in favour of 32-year-old Jason Steele, who also appeared more comfortable with the ball at his feet than Sanchez.

Given Pochettino's preference for measured, passing football, Kepa would likely offer the Chelsea boss more in this regard. Whoever Pochettino opts for will be expected to start attacks and resist the press, meaning they simply must be comfortable in possession.

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Commanding the box and sweeping up

An important aspect of modern football for the world's elite sides is being able to play a high line. This allows you to squeeze the space higher up the pitch and ultimately retrieve possession closer to the opposition goal.

However, it comes with huge risks as large amounts of space are left in behind the defensive line. As a result, goalkeepers are forced to be far more proactive, often racing off their line to act as sweepers and sniff out opposition danger.

This is another area in which Kepa excels compared to Sanchez, boasting 27 more sweeper clearances than his new teammate. If Pochettino wants to play with a high line, Kepa looks more comfortable and experienced acting in that proactive role.

Sanchez, however, is better within the confines of his own penalty area. Due to his added height, he is much more commanding and confident claiming balls that come into the box than Kepa. This has never been Kepa's strongest attribute, with the stopper often seen flapping at long balls that enter the penalty area.

Verdict

Overall, there is not an awful lot to choose between Kepa and Sanchez. Both players are perhaps some way short of being among the division's elite goalkeepers, and both will offer Pochettino different options.

At present, Kepa appears the more progressive goalkeeper and someone capable of implementing Pochettino's offensive-minded philosophy. More comfortable with the ball at his feet and coming out of his penalty area, Kepa's impressive performances last season should make him Pochettino's number one.

On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Toby Cudworth is joined by Graeme Bailey to discuss the next steps in Bayern Munich's Harry Kane hunt, Brighton rejecting another Chelsea bid for Moises Caicedo, who has had the most impressive transfer window so far & more!

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