Alternative to Sanchez? Mikel tells Chelsea which goalkeeper to get

Soccer

Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has urged Enzo Maresca’s side to go all out for Benfica’s Ukrainian goalkeeper, Anatoliy Volodymyrovych Trubin, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Blues took on Benfica in the FIFA Club World Cup’s round of sixteen at the Bank of America Stadium, and the 23-year-old goalkeeper made four stunning first-half saves to keep his side in the game, denying Marc Cucurella, Cole Palmer and Liam Delap from close range.

Trubin kept his head in the game up until extra time, where his error cost his team a place in the quarter-final.

Craven Cottage, April 20th 2025: Players of Chelsea huddle prior to kick off during the Premier League match between Fulham and Chelsea. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

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Anatoliy Trubin saves a shot on goal from Leroy Sane during the match between SL Benfica and FC Bayern Munich, for the 3rd round of group C for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, at Bank of America Stadium. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

After the game, Mikel praised the young goalkeeper and urged Chelsea to go out for him, despite his error against the two-time UEFA Champions League winners.

“Again, another mistake from Trubin,” Mikel said during post-match analysis on DAZN.

“We talked about him before the game. He has had a brilliant tournament so far. Today’s one of those days; he just needed to forget it.

“I still think we (Chelsea) need to get Trubin. There is no question about it. Clumsy tackle, that’s definitely a second yellow card,” the AFCON 2013 winner concluded.

John Obi Mikel, Didier Drogba, David Luiz, and Fernando Torres, Football Champions League. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

Soccer Sanchez out at Stamford Bridge?

In January, Manchester City defeated Maresca’s side with a 3-1 scoreline, and the Spaniard made an error leading to a goal, becoming the first Chelsea player to hold the record of most errors leading to goal since the 2007/2008 season.

Sanchez’s inconsistency in goal has been a pain in the neck for Chelsea fans since he joined from Brighton and Holves Albion two years ago.

Sanchez reacts to Chelsea conceding a goal against Manchester City. [Photo Credit/X].

Chelsea have been linked with other goalkeepers like Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel, as per Caught Offside. However, it appears Enzo Maresca trusts the Spaniard.

“For sure, we continue to trust Robert. We trust Robert, but now we have one entire week [until the next game], we see the reaction and then we decide for the next game,” the Italian manager said.

Soccer Adefolahan Guerreiro


Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.

With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.

He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

Read MoreAdefolahan Guerreiro

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