Xabi Alonso confirmed goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was facing a “few weeks” out after undergoing jaw surgery but says Chelsea are in safe hands with back-up Mike Penders, comparing him to Real Madrid great Thibaut Courtois.
Argentina international Martinez suffered a nasty injury at Everton last week after colliding with home defender Jarrad Branthwaite and has had an operation that means he will unavailable for the foreseeable future.
Alonso said: “Emi is doing better. He had the surgery and day by day he is feeling better, but we still need to wait. A few weeks. Hopefully, less than more, but we need to wait.
“The good thing is that he is feeling better and we need to listen to his feelings, the opinions of the doctors, the specialists, the surgeons. Considering it was a bad one, he is doing good.”
Chelsea boss Alonso draws Courtois comparisons
Penders replaced Martinez at the Hill Dickinson Stadium after 73 minutes and looked composed on his Chelsea debut.
There are high hopes for the Belgium stopper with Alonso admitting he reminds him of Courtois, the former Chelsea goalkeeper he worked with at the Santiago Bernabeu last season.
He said: “He’s ready. He’s been training well. He has shown he has a good level. When he came on, in a few minutes he showed his personality and qualities. That is why we have a squad to be ready for these situations.
“A lot of similarities [with Courtois]. Not just the nationality, but the stature. I spoke with Thibaut as well at the World Cup. He said himself he could see resemblances with Mike.”
Chelsea boss Alonso expecting tough test against Tottenham
Penders, who joined Chelsea from Genk in 2024 and spent last season on loan at Strasbourg, will start in goal on Saturday when Chelsea face Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
The visitors enjoyed their first win of the Premier League season on Monday night, beating Coventry 3-1, and Alonso is wary of the threat posed by Roberto De Zerbi’s men.
He added: “Every derby is special. You feel the energy, the excitement from the stands. We need that energy to be used on the pitch. We need to have a good mentality for that and good emotional control. There’s a lot of passion from both sides.
“I have seen a good Spurs despite the results. We are expecting a tough game.”
Chelsea’s 2-0 victory at Everton moved them up to fourth in the Premier League table.
Malo Gusto missed the game on Merseyside and is fit to return but neither Pep Chavarria nor Emmanuel Emegha will be available.
“Malo is fine,” said Alonso. “Pep is training a little bit more, but he is not going to make it. Emmanuel is feeling better, but we need to wait.”
You Should Also Read
