Chelsea told to sign £18m former Liverpool star after Gary Neville warning | Football

Glen Johnson has revealed his preferred Chelsea transfer target after Gary Neville urged the Blues to sign a ‘top-class’ goalkeeper.

Speaking after Chelsea’s disappointing defeat to London rivals Arsenal at the start of the month, Neville insisted the west Londoners were still short in three key areas of the pitch.

‘I flip between thinking they’re miles away and thinking if they can get a goalkeeper, an experienced centre-back and an experienced centre-forward they could be in business,’ Neville said of Chelsea.

‘They have to keep players fit but they need a top-class goalkeeper, a top-class centre-back with experience and a top-class centre forward to accompany Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, not to replace them.’

Turning his attentions to Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, Manchester United legend Neville added: ‘I’m going to talk about the goalkeeper as well because he invites problems, every time I watch him my heart is in my mouth.

‘He flaps at the Arsenal goal so for me Chelsea are three players short, they need players in those positions. I’ve got many thoughts about Chelsea and I still can’t quite work them out.’

Sanchez has been Chelsea’s No. 1 over the past two seasons but has never fully convinced, making a number of high-profile mistakes.

Liam Rosenior, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in January following Enzo Maresca’s departure, decided to drop Sanchez for Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Aston Villa, with Filip Jorgensen coming into the side.

Explaining his decision after the crucial victory over Chelsea’s top-four rivals, Rosenior said: ‘Rob [Sanchez] is an outstanding goalkeeper.

‘I just saw Filip [Jorgensen] in training and sometimes as a manager you have to go with your gut.

‘Filip gave us something different and they will both be fighting it out for the rest of the season.’

Whether Jorgensen remains Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper for the rest of the season remains to be seen, with Sanchez coming back into the side for Saturday’s FA Cup win over Wrexham.

Ex-Chelsea defender Johnson insists Sanchez is not a ‘must-replace’ player but has named two goalkeepers he could replace the Spaniard.

‘It’s very hard because form can change so quickly,’ Johnson, who won the Premier League and League Cup at Stamford Bridge, told BoyleSports.

‘There have been times where Robert Sanchez has saved Chelsea in games and made incredible saves, but he does have that mistake in him.

‘As we know, if the keeper makes a mistake, it usually, nine times out of ten, results in a goal. So it can be literally game-changing.

‘But I don’t think he’s been bad enough to say, “Right, you have to replace him.” Because when he’s in form, I think he’s been fantastic.

‘He just needs to bounce back now and regain his confidence. Then I think he’s absolutely fine. He’s not bad enough to think he’s a must-replace player.’

Turning his attentions to possible targets for Chelsea, Johnson revealed his admiration for Caoimhin Kelleher and James Trafford.

Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Kelleher has enjoyed a promising first season for high-flying Brentford since his £18m move from Liverpool last summer.

Kelleher spent six years at Anfield and impressed when called upon but was always behind superstar shot-stopper Alisson in the pecking order.

Trafford, meanwhile, is already being linked with a move away from Manchester City less than 12 months on from his £31m switch from Burnley.

The England U21 star was expected to be Pep Guardiola’s No. 1 this season but Man City then signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

‘Caoimhin Kelleher would definitely be the less risky option right now,’ Johnson added.

‘And again, that’s not to say who’s going to be the better player in two or three years, but Kelleher, anytime he was called upon for Liverpool, was fantastic. 

‘He’s now still doing another good job at Brentford. So if I had to pick a target now for Chelsea, it’d definitely be him.

‘He’s done it with Liverpool, a big club in big games and big tournaments. So I’d say that’s the safest option.