Chelsea may not have a worse week all season, losing to both Manchester United and Bayern Munich in less than five days.
There is no shame in being beaten by a powerhouse like Bayern, but the manner of that defeat would have really disappointed Chelsea supporters.
The Blues practically gifted Vincent Kompany’s men all three of their goals in a 3-1 loss.
As for Ruben Amorim’s side, they are probably the worst United team in Premier League history. Even so, Chelsea could still not beat them, with Robert Sanchez largely at fault.
With all of the above in mind, here are two players the club must now hand Enzo Maresca in the new year.
Mike Maignan
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was a target for Chelsea in the summer, and the Club World Cup winners must now consider reviving their interest in him.
Sanchez looks incapable of eradicating these costly errors from his game, errors that are destroying Chelsea.
Maignan is a world-class goalkeeper and may not cost his next club a single penny as his contract continues to run down.
Marc Guehi
Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo are not bad defenders, but they were really exposed this week, especially against Bayern’s attacking quality. Chelsea need a calm and solid figure at the back like Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi.
The 25-year-old is in the same situation as Maignan after entering the final 12 months of his contract. He is another top player the Conference League holders may be able to get for free.
Ultimately, Guehi and Maignan would be vast upgrades on what Chelsea already have and are likely to cost a small fee or nothing at all. Signing both men is a no-brainer.
Going into the new season without signing a goalkeeper and a centre-half following all of Sanchez’s errors and Levi Colwill’s ACL injury was a mistake. Will co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley correct it in 2026?
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