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‘You need somebody with a presence’ - Xabi Alonso has decisively moved on from Robert Sanchez as Chelsea push through a £7.5 million deal for Emiliano Martinez. The sharp change in direction follows Sanchez making two costly high-profile mistakes against Fulham, with pundits arguing that the Argentina goalkeeper would be a major upgrade for the Blues.

Alonso moves quickly for Martinez

Alonso has made an uncompromising start to his spell as Chelsea manager by approving a £7.5 million move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Martinez. The eye-catching transfer will see the experienced Argentina international come in to replace Sanchez at Stamford Bridge.

Alonso had earlier maintained that he was satisfied with his goalkeeping choices, which included Sanchez and inexperienced deputy Mike Penders. But the Spanish coach changed course quickly after Sanchez’s two major errors in Monday’s win over Fulham. Chelsea then acted fast to settle on a cut-price fee for the veteran keeper. Martinez is now expected to arrive as Chelsea’s clear first-choice goalkeeper.

Pundits hail major Chelsea improvement

Statistical comparisons from last season appeared to show very little between Martinez and Sanchez, with the Argentine also showing some signs of decline. However, former Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop strongly rejected that reading of the numbers. Speaking to ESPNFC, Hislop said Martinez is clearly a better option.

“You need somebody with a presence and Emi Martinez without question has that. He’s very good with the ball at his feet and I think he ticks a lot of boxes for Chelsea,” Hislop said.

“Emi Martinez is an upgrade on Sanchez, those numbers cover up the cracks and the truth. Emi Martinez is a far better goalkeeper. You have Emi Martinez, even at this stage of his career, ten times out of ten over Sanchez. It’s not even a discussion.”

Rebuilding trust in the Blues defence

Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf feels Sanchez’s inconsistent goalkeeping has negatively affected the side’s backline over the past three years. He said Martinez’s commanding style would be a huge boost for central defenders such as Levi Colwill and Maxence Lacroix.

“The numbers we saw they mean nothing,” Leboeuf said. “You have to put the percentage of trust defenders had last season in Martinez and the trust centre backs had in Sanchez. That I will give you a right number.

“I'm pretty sure Aston Villa had 100% trust in Emi Martinez and I give you 10% confidence of any centre back that played for Chelsea. Those are the right numbers. You know it’s crucial that if you have a goalkeeper that you trust behind you, you can give 100%. If you don’t trust you are going to have to be alert to everything and hesitate on every single decision you have to make.”

Martinez gets ready for Stamford Bridge switch

Martinez’s transfer to Chelsea now seems to be a matter of time, with an official confirmation expected within the next few hours or days. Once that is completed, the goalkeeper will begin settling into his new environment as Chelsea aim to gather momentum under Alonso.