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Is Emi Martinez Better than Rob Sanchez for Chelsea

Emi Martinez vs Robert Sanchez - image of Sanchez diving for a shot

Emi Martinez has been given the trademark “Here We Go” from Fabrizio Romano on a move to Chelsea from Aston Villa. The veteran goalkeeper joins just after Rob Sanchez made a mistake against Fulham to let in a goal before being left out of the cup win over Luton Town. A former World Cup winner, the Argentine shot-stopper is unlikely to be joining as just a backup which leads fans to wonder, who is better between the two? We’ll be diving into some of the numbers and intangibles that could help figure out if Martinez is better than Sanchez.

Emi Martinez vs Rob Sanchez – Analysing Who Is The Better Goalkeeper for Chelsea

Emi Martinez pictured - Comparing Dibu to Rob Sanchez

IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Shot Stopping

Comparing the 2025/26 Premier League per-90 numbers of the two, the Villans shot-stopper pips his competitor. Martinez registered a 70.9% save percentage with a 0.11 goals prevented, adding up to over three across the title of the season.

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By comparison, the Chelsea man had 67.7% save percentage, with a far lower goals prevented of 0.05, making up roughly one strike prevented over the course of the campaign. While the numbers themselves look close, the 33-year-old just edges it with his save value and higher percentage making him the better of the two.

Distribution

For Xabi Alonso, and most top teams nowadays, the ability to play out from the back is important as top keepers are often getting a lot of touches while their team tries to play through a press. Sanchez in 2025/26 had a 66.7% pass accuracy with a solid 26 successful passes per 90. His long ball numbers were more middle of the road with 6 accurate and 32.1% being completed. His long passing when it came off did seem threatening as he created a high 0.15 chances per 90.

His Villan counterpart made more passes with 28 at an accuracy rate of 73.7%. He made marginally fewer long passes with both rounding up to 6 but his rate of completion was a bit higher at 36% flat. His long passing was less effective as his chance creation was a miniscule 0.06.

While there’s something to be dicussed about errors, the nitty-gritty details of their league statistics do make Martinez look like the better of the two. His passing is more secure and finds its destination more often which is something that builds confidence over the course of a season.

Errors

Whether fair or not, an early mistake in the term has seen the Chelsea goalkeeper get an error-prone reputation. Is the Argentine better and more reliable? Or do the numbers say otherwise?

In total last season, the Aston Villa man actually made more errors leading to goal with a difference of three to one. This definitely seems to contradict the consensus of the two and any mistakes made by the veteran in a pressure cooker like Chelsea would see fans turn on him pretty quickly. It adds some perspective to things, he prevented three strikes statistically with his saves but caused three with errors, averaging out to not making any positive contributions.

Another statistic to consider is that while there were more errors leading to goals, Martinez had one error leading to a shot in the previous term, while Sanchez had three. This almost evens it out as both stoppers had errors causing roughly 4 attempts on target based on the available stats.

Intangibles

Ultimately, there is a question over whether any of that matters. There has been a lot written and seen from the man nicknamed ‘Dibu’ that showcases he has the mental resilience to handle the rigors of top level football. He was the winning goalkeeper in a penalty shootout for the World Cup, That shootout saw him become a jester, antagonising his opposition and showing he was prepared to win even after conceding three in the match.

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Comparatively, there are a number of times where Blues fans have seen Sanchez fall apart, making a mistake that sends a tremor of panic through the entire squad and those in the stands. Despite his solid stats, there is a question about whether the composure and calmness that the Argentine possesses will make him better with his mere presence. A team and fanbase that doesn’t trust the man between the sticks is one that won’t win it all.

The Last Word – Emi Martinez vs Rob Sanchez

There’s enough of a sample size by now to know one thing, whether fairly or unfairly, any mistake Sanchez makes for Chelsea will be held against him and seen as the continuation of a disaster. For the reported price of £7.5 million, Alonso could make a low-risk gamble of handing the reins to a veteran known for his mental strength who could try to bring some calm to the back line and the fanbase.