Scholes and Butt Back Alonso to Overhaul Chelsea's Goalkeeper Problem

Xabi Alonso's arrival at Chelsea comes with an immediate task on his hands: fixing a goalkeeper problem that Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes could derail the club's ambitions.

Alonso's appointment as Chelsea manager for next season arrives after a disastrous 2025/26 campaign that saw the Blues sack two managers and tumble out of European qualification entirely. The Spaniard will inherit a squad in need of serious reconstruction, with one glaring weakness already identified by football's finest analysts.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Nicky Butt was blunt about Robert Sanchez's limitations. "The goalkeeper is a problem there at Chelsea, he's a liability," Butt declared. "He can't play the way they will want to play."

Scholes was equally unambiguous in his assessment. Acknowledging that Alonso will almost certainly demand a possession-based approach centred on building play from the back, the former United midfielder insisted a new number one is non-negotiable. "With the way Chelsea will play, I agree. He can't do it," Scholes said. "I'm pretty sure Xabi Alonso will want to play that way, to build out from the back, so he will need a new goalkeeper then."

The goalkeeping overhaul appears just one piece of a larger puzzle that Alonso must solve at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal legend Paul Merson, appearing on the same podcast, stressed that Chelsea have finally secured a manager worthy of the job—and now must back him with the right personnel.

"They need a manager who the fans are grateful that he's managing Chelsea and they've got that now with Xabi Alonso because he's a top manager," Merson explained. "They need players and they need a clear-out."

Merson's chief recommendation centres on recalling Nicolas Jackson to the fold. The striker's absence has had a ripple effect across Chelsea's attacking structure, with Cole Palmer's World Cup omission linked directly to Jackson's lack of form. "I would get Nicolas Jackson back, I would rip Jackson back," Merson insisted. "Palmer made Jackson and Jackson made Palmer. Palmer's not on that plane to the World Cup because Jackson's not been there."

Current loan man Liam Delap, meanwhile, has been deemed out of his depth by Merson, who views him as insufficient for Chelsea's requirements. The situation is further complicated by Joao Pedro's tendency to drift infield, effectively functioning as a number ten rather than a conventional striker.

A tactical shift could provide the solution. Merson advocates for a back-three formation that would allow Chelsea's attacking full-backs—Reece James, Marc Cucurella, and Malo Gusto—to operate with greater freedom while Caicedo and Enzo provide defensive security. "That will suit Xabi Alonso," Merson noted. "They could be a good team but they need some experience."

For Alonso, the blueprint is becoming clearer: a new goalkeeper, a recalibrated forward line, and a willingness to reshape the team's structure. Whether Chelsea's hierarchy will provide the backing required remains to be seen.