After signing Robert Sanchez from Brighton & Hove Albion during the summer, it now looks like Chelsea have the fastest goalkeeper in the Premier League.
Robert Sanchez was unable to prevent Brentford from scoring in the end, but he was able to catch up with one counter-attack they launched over the weekend after running back from a corner he went up for at the very end of the game.
And now, according to OptaJoe, that sprint back to his box saw him record a top speed of 35.11 km/h, a number no other goalkeeper has bettered this season.
And it did not go under the radar, with former Chelsea player Tony Cascarino touching on that moment when discussing his former side’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford.
It shows that Sanchez could be quite a good sweeper keeper for Mauricio Pochettino this term.
Robert Sanchez the fastest goalkeeper in the Premier League
It is a nice achievement, but the area where Sanchez will obviously want to excel in is shot-stopping, with the Spaniard aiming for the Golden Glove award.
If the 25-year-old can win the accolade, he will easily go down as one of the bargains of the summer.
Chelsea paid Brighton just £25m to sign Sanchez, according to BBC Sport, which is not huge money in this day and age.
The Spain international’s priority right now, though, will be helping Pochettino’s side to climb the table. Sitting in 11th, they are obviously not where they want to be.
Chelsea would have gone into this season aiming for Champions League qualification, which now looks like a pipe dream.
If Sanchez and everyone else steps up and they start to win games, it is not impossible. But as things stand, Chelsea have no hope of returning to Europe’s elite competition, which is disappointing given how much money they spent in the summer.
