Enzo Maresca set to upset Chelsea fans as final decision is made on £25m player

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Chelsea have decided they will keep one first-team player despite some of the criticism he received last season.

Overall, Enzo Maresca definitely enjoyed a strong debut year at Chelsea as the club’s head coach, winning two trophies and qualifying for the Champions League. The Blues won the Club World Cup and Conference League after sealing fourth in the Premier League.

Fans will be keen to see how much the team improves next season, especially after the arrival of new signings such as Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, and Jamie Gittens.

Maresca’s main target is another top-four finish at Chelsea in the 2025/26 campaign, but supporters should perhaps be dreaming of something bigger.

• READ MORE: Enzo Maresca’s first pre-season squad in charge of Chelsea included eight players he has already discarded

Chelsea decide to keep Robert Sanchez

The goalkeeper situation at Stamford Bridge has been a major talking point for several years now.

Robert Sanchez, 27, has certainly struggled to win over Chelsea fans in his role as the starting gloveman. Admittedly, the Spanish shot-stopper was immense when the Blues won the Club World Cup tournament this summer. In fact, Chelsea decided they were in no rush to replace Sanchez after his heroics this summer.

AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan, 30, has been heavily linked with a potential move to West London this summer. The latest update suggests that any deal may be dead in the water, though.

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea have decided to move into next season with Sanchez as their first-choice goalkeeper despite his inconsistent form last term.

It is explained that the current Blues star will get another chance to impress next year in the starting XI.

The report says that Chelsea have made the major decision on Sanchez following their failed pursuit of Milan’s Maignan. Even though they agreed personal terms with the French goalkeeper, the Blues never met Milan’s £20m asking price. Apparently, Maignan to Chelsea is now ‘off the table’ this summer.

Even though Maresca wanted Maignan to join Chelsea, it looks like there has been a considerable U-turn because Sanchez will be in between the sticks next season.

Chelsea fans may be angry with Robert Sanchez decision

It’s fair to say that Sanchez has received plenty of criticism since he joined Chelsea from Brighton for £25m (BBC) two years ago. However, the club continue to show incredible support and belief in him.

Last month, Chelsea supporters wanted Maignan to replace Sanchez as the club’s number one in net.

It’s now extremely important than Sanchez starts next season well because things could get quite uncomfortable if he allows more errors to creep into his game again.

If he can replicate the form he’s shown in the last couple of months, Chelsea fans may finally have a goalkeeper they can trust again. For now, he’s still firmly under the microscope because he’s guilty of mistakes on the ball.