'I still have a question mark' - Frank Leboeuf singles out Chelsea star Xabi Alonso must replace

Leboeuf has urged new Chelsea manager Alonso to prioritise replacing Sanchez as the club's primary goalkeeper, with doubts persisting over his credentials following a string of errors across three seasons at Stamford Bridge. That goalkeeping uncertainty comes despite the Blues being highly active elsewhere in the transfer window, having signed Morgan Rogers for £117 million, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, and Valentin Barco, alongside experienced duo Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.

While the former France centre-back praised Chelsea's decision to bring in experienced figures to guide their young squad, his main tactical concern remains between the posts when assessing the Blues' prospective starting lineup.

Speaking to ESPN, Leboeuf stated: "I feel better because they finally understood the fact that they needed players with experience, with the fact that Henderson and also Danny Welbeck are coming.

"Lacroix is also coming and he has experience now being an international player. I think it’s a good thing that those young players are surrounded by players who can show them the way, first in the dressing room, by behaving the right way, working hard in the training ground, but also knowing how to handle some hard times during the game. So I think it’s a very good thing," he continued.

Turning his focus directly to Sanchez, Leboeuf insisted: "I still have a question mark over the goalkeeper. Sanchez can be very good on the line, but with his feet, he’s always creating issues and scares the fans when he has the ball at his feet."

Beyond the goalkeeping situation, Leboeuf also warned Alonso to swiftly trim Chelsea's bloated squad to maintain dressing-room harmony. Regardless of the imperative to sell before the transfer window closes, Leboeuf believes the Blues must still target a top-five finish to secure a Champions League return.

Highlighting the squad size, Leboeuf added: "I think they have like 45 players. They have to get rid of some of them. And of course, Xabi Alonso will have to get a selection of the players and maybe get rid of 15, at least 15 players. That’s insane, but it’s what he has to do. Otherwise, you cannot work," he noted.

"You cannot be able to work properly every day, week in, week out, to make sure that you have everybody tuned in. So it’s going to be hard. He’s going to get rid of the players he doesn’t want, because if they are here or not, they’re going to create problems inside the dressing room," Leboeuf stressed.

Evaluating the top-flight landscape, he concluded: "A good season is, of course, in the Champions League fourth or fifth place spots. But for me, the only club right now where I’m going to say is pretty sure to get into the first five is Arsenal. The others have doubts everywhere.

"[Manchester] City, we don’t know what’s going to happen with the new coach. Liverpool, with the team, we don’t really know. And the same for [Manchester] United. Last year, for more than half of the season, they were struggling. So nobody is assured to be in the first four, but Arsenal, I would say, right now."

Alonso's side are currently on a pre-season tour of South East Asia, facing AC Milan in Jakarta this Saturday before taking on Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta'zim a day later. These warm-up fixtures offer a crucial opportunity for Alonso to gel his squad before the transfer window closes. The Blues will officially launch their new Premier League campaign with a trip to face Fulham on August 24.