The £2bn Chelsea transfer question Enzo Maresca must fix before it's too late

Chelsea's defeat to Manchester United on Saturday night arguably shone a spotlight on a question that the club still must answer.

The Blues fell to a 2-1 defeat and managed to avoid a heavier defeat after going down to 10 men and trailing by two goals going into the half-time break. Casemiro was also shown a red card for the Red Devils in first-half stoppage time, but the damage was arguably done just five minutes into the game when Robert Sanchez was sent off.

Enzo Maresca made a double substitution to cope with the Chelsea goalkeeper being shown a red card, with a third change going on to be made on the 21-minute mark with a suspected injury to Cole Palmer.

Filip Jorgensen was one of the changes made by Maresca to replace Sanchez in goal, with the sending off of Sanchez highlighting a question that may need solving at Chelsea.

The Blues made 11 signings during the summer transfer window but none of them included a new goalkeeper. AC Milan star Mike Maignan was heavily linked with a move at the start of the transfer window, but a deal was never agreed and Chelsea instead chose to stick with Sanchez, Jorgensen and Gaga Slonina as their shot-stopper options.

Chelsea are not likely to be reactive when it comes to making changes to their squad based on one result. Sanchez has been a key player for the Blues during his time at the club and played a vital role in helping the team qualify for the Champions League and win the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer.

Jorgensen, meanwhile, played all but one game for Chelsea in the Conference League last season on their way to winning the trophy.

Based on reported transfer fees, Chelsea have spent more than £2billion on new signings since Todd Boehly completed a formal takeover back in the summer of 2022.

Sanchez, Jorgensen and Slonina have all arrived since Boehly's takeover, but the rumours about interest in Maignan in the summer indicate that Chelsea did want to sign a new goalkeeper.

Whether that will mean the club decides to go into the market in January for a new shot-stopper remains to be seen, but either way, the question will have to be asked in the next few months as the New Year approaches.

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