Chelsea’s goalkeeping picture has shifted quickly in the opening days of the season. In early August, Xabi Alonso was publicly comfortable with the options available to him, and before the club’s preseason meeting with AC Milan on Aug. 8 he said he was “very happy with Rob.” He added of Robert Sánchez: “He has played many years at the club, as well as in the Premier League, and has experience. To have this security in goal is important.”

That assurance now looks far less secure. Sánchez was at fault for both goals in Monday night’s Premier League opener at Craven Cottage, and Alonso declined to single him out, saying: “It is not about talking about individuals.” It was another reminder that Sánchez has repeatedly moved in and out of the starting role, even after outlasting Filip Jörgensen as last season’s main competition.

According to The Guardian, Chelsea are now in contact with Emiliano Martínez through his representatives. The goalkeeper is said to have caught the club’s interest, with the possibility viewed as “too good an opportunity to turn down.” Reports suggested Martínez’s camp had approached Chelsea after the Fulham match, offering his availability.

His situation has been building for some time. With Aston Villa since 2020, Martínez had already said farewell to supporters at the end of 2024-25 before staying when no move was completed. This summer, Villa brought in Zion Suzuki from Parma as their new long-term No. 1, while Juventus also moved for Suzuki and Martínez before taking Guglielmo Vicario from Tottenham Hotspur. Martínez was then left out of Villa’s Premier League opener against Brighton & Hove Albion.

For Chelsea, the attraction is obvious. Martínez is proven in the Premier League and Champions League, is a World Cup Golden Glove winner, a two-time Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper and recorded the 2024-25 Premier League Save of the Season.

Chelsea also have 21-year-old Mike Penders in the squad after sending him to Strasbourg in 2025-26, but the current pressure makes a young option difficult to trust. Martínez may not be the long-term answer, yet he could steady the position until Penders is ready.

The Premier League has wasted little time in reminding everyone why pre-season certainty rarely survives opening weekend.

A composed Friday night start was followed by a string of heavy results and eye-catching shifts across Saturday and Sunday. For a division long billed as one of the most unpredictable in years, the first round of fixtures offered exactly that, forcing plenty of early assumptions into revision.

Arsenal made the clearest statement. Their 3-0 win over Coventry City was controlled, calm and entirely in keeping with a team defending a title. Coventry, in their first top-flight match in 25 years, were worn down gradually and given little encouragement. With the additions made this summer and an already deep squad, the champions look well placed to make another serious run at the top.

Aston Villa, by contrast, left the south coast with real concerns. Their defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion was severe, with the game effectively gone at 4-0 inside 31 minutes and João Gomes later sent off before half-time. Unai Emery has repeatedly found solutions in the past, but the scale of change around the squad means there is now a bedding-in process to manage.

Newcastle United also left their opener with more than frustration. A late Dominik Szoboszlai penalty denied them victory against Liverpool, yet Matthias Jassle’s influence was already visible. There is a clearer identity to their play, and the vertical approach looks suited to a team and support base that should respond to it.

Brentford, meanwhile, may have unearthed a major success in Mamadou Sangaré. The midfielder impressed in the 3-0 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur, and the praise from teammates has been immediate. Caoimhín Kelleher called him “superb,” while Keane Lewis-Potter described him as a “joy to play with.”

Among the promoted sides, Hull City and Ipswich Town both delivered encouraging responses after Coventry’s rough start. Hull beat Manchester United 2-0, while Ipswich edged Sunderland 2-1 late on. Neither club is under any illusion about the task ahead, but both showed enough to suggest they can compete.

At the other end of the conversation, Sunderland’s opening defeat will sharpen questions about a second-season hangover, while Arsenal’s brightest argument may already be individual acclaim. Martin Ødegaard is back, baby!

Joshua Zirkzee has become the subject of fresh transfer discussion in the closing stages of the summer window, with Aston Villa understood to have made contact with Manchester United over a possible move.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Villa have made a phone call to United to ask about Zirkzee’s availability and the terms of any potential agreement. A switch is not considered straightforward, but it remains a scenario that could still develop before the window closes.

Villa’s need for attacking depth is clear. They are preparing for their second Champions League campaign in three seasons and currently have limited cover at centre-forward. That situation could become more pressing if Al Hilal succeed in tempting unsettled Ollie Watkins to Saudi Arabia. Tammy Abraham is the only other senior No. 9, while Brian Madjo, who scored in the UEFA Super Cup, is highly rated but will not turn 18 until January.

Zirkzee is not Villa’s main target. That priority is said to be Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, who previously worked with Unai Emery at Villarreal. Jackson became available after Chelsea moved ahead with Emmanuel Emegha, although his fee and wider interest in him mean Villa have no guarantee of landing the Senegal international.

The Dutch forward is not viewed as a classic penalty-box striker. Despite his size, Zirkzee tends to play deeper and contribute to combination play and buildup, a profile closer to Harry Kane than Erling Haaland.

At present, a move to Aston Villa appears unlikely, because it depends on Jackson not arriving and United accepting suitable terms for Zirkzee within a short timeframe.

Romano also says that if Zirkzee does leave, it is worth keeping a “close eye” on United’s response, with a backup striker to Benjamin Šeško already a familiar idea.

Matheus Cunha and Marcus Rashford can both play up front, with the former selected ahead of Šeško in the opening-day defeat to Hull City, but United have been linked with a striker addition throughout the summer, even if it remains behind central midfield, goalkeeper and left back in their list of priorities.