Jamie Carragher has ruled out Chelsea as potential contenders for the Premier League title. He’s pretty definitive on the reason why, too.
Chelsea secured fourth spot in the Premier League on the final day of last season, so to see them challenge for the title in the upcoming campaign might be too much of a stretch. However, there are some pundits and fans backing Enzo Maresca’s side to compete for the league crown.
After winning the Club World Cup and Conference League, the Blues will go into the 2025/26 season with momentum behind them.
Alan Shearer expects Chelsea to compete for the Premier League, especially off the back of such an impressive summer at the Club World Cup. However, Blues legend John Terry doesn’t picture Chelsea in a title challenge yet because they are still lacking experience.
Jamie Carragher ahead of Manchester City FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
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Jamie Carragher claims Chelsea don’t have the goalkeeper to win the Premier League
According to Jamie Carragher, Chelsea won’t win the Premier League because of their current situation in net. The pundit has indirectly said that first-choice Blues keeper Robert Sanchez, 27, isn’t at the level required for a title-winning side.
Carragher said on The Overlap: “Chelsea started winning the leagues when they bought Petr Cech in… No matter what Chelsea have done or what they’ve spent, they can’t win the league because they haven’t got a goalkeeper to win the league.”
Back in August 2023, Chelsea paid £25m (BBC) to sign Sanchez from Brighton. Even though he’s had more downs than ups so far with the Blues, he’s still the starting gloveman at Stamford Bridge.
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In fairness, the Spanish shot-stopper enjoyed a brilliant final couple of months of last season, including some heroics to help win the Club World Cup.
Tony Cascarino noticed Sanchez simplify his game at the summer tournament. As a result, he cut out the individual errors that usually frustrate supporters.
Errors leading to goal in league competition:
◎ 5 – Robert Sánchez in 2024/25
◉ 4 – Mike Maignan in the last four seasons pic.twitter.com/gScch6vrUN
— WhoScored (@WhoScored) June 3, 2025
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Reports claim that Chelsea will stick with Sanchez as the starting goalkeeper going into the new season, which kicks off next week. Apparently, the decision has been made after missing out on signing AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan, 30, earlier this summer.
Robert Sanchez celebrates during Chelsea FC v Paris Saint-Germain: Final - FIFA Club World Cup 2025
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What Jamie Carragher said about Robert Sanchez in 2023
In fairness, Carragher has never been of the belief that Sanchez is the type of goalkeeper that can start for an elite team.
When he joined Chelsea in August 2023, Carragher criticised the Sanchez signing by suggesting they needed better. He said: “If you said to me how many players do they need to challenge Man City, I’m not talking about winning the league, I still think they need a goalkeeper, even though they have just signed Sanchez.”
It’s quite obvious that the Chelsea fanbase still aren’t completely sold on Sanchez because of his inconsistency with them, but it looks like he will get another crack to prove himself. If he cuts out the stupid errors, he’s a solid starter in goal.