£25m Chelsea player says he’s the fittest he’s been in two years after ‘early’ pre-season

Add as preferred source on Google

A player in Chelsea’s first-team squad has just explained that he’s feeling extremely sharp and the fittest he’s been in a couple of years.

Chelsea have certainly made a decent start to the new season under Enzo Maresca, who’s settled fast as the club’s head coach.

Maresca has quickly established a core group that start in the Premier League. On top of that, the squad depth means the rotation in cup fixtures allows him to still put out extremely strong sides.

Speaking recently via Sky Sports, Jamie Redknapp explained he likes the Chelsea that is taking shape under Maresca. Let’s hope that this young team will keep going from strength to strength moving forward.

• READ MORE: The main difference in Chelsea training sessions under Enzo Maresca compared to Mauricio Pochettino

Robert Sanchez is feeling super fit

Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, 26, has claimed in an interview this week that his fitness is the best it’s been for two years. Interestingly, he’s shared that he came back a few weeks early for pre-season to help him get fit for the 2024/25 campaign and to help fully get over a previous knee injury.

The £25m gloveman (Sky Sports) has regained his starting position since the change of management and played every league minute so far this season.

Sanchez said via Chelsea’s official website: “I’m feeling pretty good… In myself, I’m feeling the best that I’ve ever felt and after two clean sheets we just need to keep this going. It feels amazing because it’s the fittest I’ve felt in the last two years. Two years ago I didn’t have a pre-season, last year I didn’t have a pre-season.

“I signed for Chelsea, trained for three days and then played against Liverpool, so I wasn’t at my best and I played week in, week out, feeling like I was at 60 per cent or 70 per cent of what I know I’m capable of. Then the injury happened.

“But this pre-season I wanted to come back early. I came back two or three weeks before everybody else just to get the knee strong. Now the knee feels like I’ve never had an injury there. I’m just focused on training, because I want to be able to give my best.

“I know what I’m capable of, I know how much better I can get, especially with this team and these players, this coach with the way he supports me on the pitch. We can win things and I want to win things with this club. I’m feeling at my best, better than ever.”

Have Chelsea found their long-term goalkeeper?

We’re going to need Sanchez to keep up this form for a while longer before we’re convinced he’s the right man as the long-term number one, but his purple patch of form lately is really encouraging.

The Spanish shot-stopper had a frustrating debut campaign as a Chelsea player last year. He was the regular starter in the first half of the season, but Djordje Petrovic replaced him in the XI after a knee problem.

Now, Sanchez is showing the best kind of form we’ve seen from him so far at Stamford Bridge.

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler praised Chelsea’s Sanchez earlier this week during his press conference via Brighton’s YouTube channel. In particular, he highlighted that the 26-year-old is crucial to the way that the Blues play out from the back.

Sanchez is bidding for his third clean sheet in a row when Chelsea host Brighton this Saturday afternoon.