Alonso requests to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has recently requested the club's management to sign Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa, but the club's management seems determined to rely on young keeper Mike Penders.

According to "CaughtOffside", Chelsea are prepared to take a gamble in the goalkeeping position, despite Robert Sánchez's modest performance once again during the win over Fulham on Monday night.

Robert Sánchez has been unconvincing as Chelsea's first-choice goalkeeper for some time now, but the club prefers to wait for Mike Penders to get a chance in the starting role, rather than move for a new keeper during the transfer window.

Despite Alonso potentially preferring to sign Martínez, this option seems unlikely at the moment, with Chelsea focusing on developing their young talents, especially Mike Penders, who is highly regarded within the club after his impressive performance during his loan to Strasbourg last season.

Chelsea have taken a more flexible approach in the summer transfer market, signing experienced players like Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, among other deals. However, they do not seem ready to take the same approach with Martínez to replace Sánchez.

The report indicated that signing Martínez could hinder Penders' development, despite Chelsea's need to replace Sánchez. It also sees that the team has a realistic chance of competing for the Premier League title this season, but it will face difficulty in winning the title with Sánchez continuing as goalkeeper.