Chelsea goalkeeper Emi Martinez will be out for "a few weeks" after surgery on the fractured jaw he suffered at Everton, Xabi Alonso confirmed on Friday, with Mike Penders set to start Saturday's London derby against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentina international, a summer signing from Aston Villa, was hurt during last Saturday's 2-0 win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and has not trained since undergoing the operation.
A sickening collision at Everton
Martinez was injured as he came to claim a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall free-kick and collided with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. He needed lengthy treatment on the pitch — around eight minutes — before being carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital.
Chelsea later confirmed a fractured jaw and concussion, and Martinez underwent successful surgery on the fractured jaw earlier this week. Writing from his hospital bed, the 34-year-old told supporters: "Thanks to everyone for the messages. The operation went well. The most important thing is that we won, and kept a clean sheet. In a few weeks we'll be back."
Penders replaced him for the closing stages on Merseyside and helped Chelsea keep what was, remarkably, their first clean sheet in 22 Premier League matches.
Alonso urges patience over the timeline
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Alonso told Reuters the goalkeeper is recovering well but refused to set a return date. "He's been better; he had the surgery. We still need to wait. (He will be out for) a few weeks. Hopefully less than more," the Chelsea boss said.
"He is doing better day by day. We need to listen to the opinion of the doctors as well. Considering it was a bad one, he is doing good."
The update is more optimistic than the first estimates after the surgery, when Martinez was reported to be facing four to six weeks on the sidelines. Alonso's tone suggests Chelsea hope to have their number one back sooner than that — but only when the specialists give the all-clear.
Penders gets his chance — and a Courtois comparison
In Martinez's absence, the gloves pass to Mike Penders, the Belgian who made his Chelsea debut off the bench at Everton. Alonso has backed him without hesitation: "He is ready. He has been training well and played a couple of cup games where he showed he has a good level. When he came on against Everton, he showed in a few minutes his personality and qualities."
The Chelsea manager even compared his young stand-in to a Stamford Bridge great. As 101GreatGoals reported, Alonso sees "a lot of similarities [with Thibaut 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."
There was mixed news elsewhere in the squad: Malo Gusto is fit again after illness, but Pep Chavarria will not make it as he continues his recovery from injury.
So what does it mean for Chelsea?
Chelsea sit fourth, and the next three fixtures are unforgiving: Tottenham's trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, a Carabao Cup fourth-round trip to Liverpool in midweek, and a home game against Manchester United. Martinez is expected to miss all three.
Spurs have won only once in their last 41 visits to Stamford Bridge, but they arrive with Pedro Porro back — while carrying a doubt over James Maddison — and they will test Penders early and often, particularly from set-pieces, the very situation in which Martinez was hurt.
Chelsea signed Martinez to bring authority and calm to a position that had become a problem. For the next few weeks, they will find out whether their future in goal is arriving ahead of schedule.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Alonso is right not to rush this. A fractured jaw is not a knock a goalkeeper can play through — his job is to throw himself into exactly the traffic that injured him — and Penders' assured cameo at Everton bought Chelsea breathing space. But make no mistake: if the young Belgian wobbles against Spurs, the pressure to hurry Martinez back will become deafening, and that would be the worst outcome of all. Can Penders seize his chance, or will Chelsea be forced to rush their number one back? Have your say in the comments.
