Emmanuel Petit has urged Chelsea to replace their error-prone goalkeeper Robert Sanchez before the transfer window closes, suggesting Aston Villa's Emi Martinez could be a shrewd acquisition.
The call comes after Xabi Alonso got his tenure off to a winning start on Monday evening with a 3-2 victory over west London rivals Fulham. The Blues gave an impressive glimpse of what they may offer as an attacking force this season, with Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer all on the scoresheet.
It was a different story at the other end of the pitch, however, where a number of defensive lapses nearly cost Alonso and his new-look team dear. Sanchez endured a particularly difficult evening, and the new Chelsea manager is already facing calls to axe his current No.1.
Lebouef criticises Sanchez
Former Chelsea defender Frank Lebouef told ESPNFC: 'It's hard to be a goalkeeper because you have nobody behind you but we know Sanchez. We have known him for a while and that he can do mistakes.'
'But when you play for a club like Chelsea and you see what they can do offensively they were perfect the three guys up front scoring three goals away from home that's great, but you cannot waste that by making silly mistakes.'
'There is an issue and Xabi Alonso has to find someone else really quickly. It's been an issue for a while, we don't want to see that any more.'
'All due respect to Sanchez we tried, it doesn't work and when it's important he's not there to save the club so we have to find another one.'
Petit backs Martinez move
To that end, former Chelsea midfielder Petit believes Aston Villa's currently out of favour Emi Martinez would fit the bill if he were available at a knockdown price. The experienced Argentina international appeared to be on the verge of joining Juventus following his exploits at the World Cup only for the deal to fall through.
Villa signed Zion Suzuki earlier this month and started with Marco Bizot between the posts in Sunday's calamitous 4-0 defeat at Brighton.
Petit suggested that a move for Martinez could prove a shrewd acquisition, even if he only offers a short-term solution to a long-standing problem.
'Only £10 million?' he remarked when speaking to Oddschecker about Martinez's potential value. 'Well, maybe some people ask me about Martinez, and I always think about the national team and his antics during the World Cup.'
'We have a long history with Martinez. But I have to be honest, I like the goalkeeper. Even when he tries to get into opponents' minds and exhibits bad behavior on the pitch, he has the personality and leadership needed.'
'At Chelsea, that could be interesting – his anger, his ambition. He's not scared of talking to the players and telling them what he thinks.'
'It would have been great to see that leadership alongside Fernandez in the middle of the park. I have no idea if he is going to leave, but definitely, if Chelsea needs to change their goalkeeper, Martinez could be an option.'
