Liam Rosenior sends Chelsea star brutal warning as January transfer reality becomes clear

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has set his stance straight on how he wants his new squad to behave on the training ground

Liam Rosenior has warned his Chelsea players their spot in the team is not safe unless they earn it, when asked about Robert Sanchez's position as his first-choice goalkeeper.

Sanchez came under fire on Wednesday evening with two mistakes leading to Arsenal's opening goals of the night in Chelsea's 3-2 Carabao Cup semi-final defeat. The Spanish goalkeeper flapped at a corner and that allowed Ben White to head in to give the Gunners the lead. In the second-half, Sanchez fumbled a low cross from White and that led to a tap-in for Viktor Gyokeres.

After the match, Rosenior took responsibility for the mistakes but has now warned Sanchez, and the rest of the Chelsea squad, that his position is not safe and he could call upon Filip Jorgensen at any time.

"It's the same for every position. I’m here to assess every position," said Rosenior. "I don't have No.1s or No.2s. That's not how I work.

"If you look at me at every club, there has to be competition. I work on performance, not just in the goalkeeping department, but in every position on the pitch. You have to earn your spot in this team.

"I have a very good squad. So for me, that is the message to all of the players. I do not have guaranteed No.1s or guaranteed No.9s. They have to earn their place in the team."

Chelsea are not expected to be too busy in the January transfer window in terms of incomings, but there are a couple of players at least that could leave Stamford Bridge. Facundo Buonanotte's loan spell with the Blues has been cut short as he finalises a move to Leeds United for the remainder of the season, while Tyrique George continues to be linked with a move away from west London.

The 19-year-old forward, who looks increasingly likely to leave this month, has not featured in the Premier League for Chelsea since October, but Rosenior has been impressed with the teenager's attitude in training. The newly-appointed Blues boss has told his players that what they show on the training pitch will impact his thinking when it comes to selecting his team on matchday.

"The honest answer is I don’t know [if George is part of his plans]," explained Rosenior. "Tyrique is a player of immense potential I’ve been aware of for a long time.

"He has been unfortunate. The first game against Charlton, he travelled with the group - but he wasn’t in the group. Yesterday he was on the bench.

"I've said this to the players: your background, whether you’re an academy player, whether you've been signed for £100million, it's about what you do in training. I have to say his attitude to training and what I've seen, his attitude in the group has been top class."