There is a sense of deja vu with Robert Sanchez and the goalkeeping situation at Brighton.

Cast your mind back to December 2020, Maty Ryan had been Albion’s No.1 and only missed four games in the Premier League since joining from Valencia in January 2017.

However, manager Graham Potter decided to give young Sanchez the No. 1 shirt after his impressive Premier League debut at Spurs the month before (November).

In January 2021, after seven games watching on from the bench, Ryan left to join Arsenal on loan, where he played backup to Bernd Leno.

Fast forward to 2023 and only missing one of Brighton’s last 86 Premier League games since being given the No. 1 shirt in December, Sanchez lost his place to long-term No. 2 Jason Steele in their 4-0 win over West Ham in March.

Manager Robert De Zerbi explained after the win over West Ham that Steele is closer to his style of play than Sanchez.

He said: “Robert is playing well, but Jason was fantastic in build-up, for example, in my style.

“Maybe he is closer than Roberto to my style.

“But I think Robert can work to arrive at the same level.”

Since then, Sanchez has found his game time limited, with his only starts coming in their Premier League win over Chelsea, their FA Cup quarter-final win over Gimsby and their semi-final defeat against Manchester United.

However, on Sunday afternoon, when the squad was named against Arsenal, Sanchez was a notable absentee.

De Zerbi explained after the win over Arsenal that Sanchez asked to be left out of the side.

He said: We spoke two days ago, and we reached an agreement that he wasn’t going to come here.

“He knew he wasn’t going to play, so we reached an agreement on that.”

 De Zerbi then revealed in his press conference earlier that Sanchez had once again asked not to be selected:

He said: “He decided everything. Robert decided everything at the moment. He wanted it this way (not travelling to be on the bench). Not me, not the club.”

With Sanchez having to play backup to Steele in the last couple of months, the Spanish international has been linked with a move away from The Amex, with both Chelsea and Spurs being reported as potential destinations.

Recent events with Sanchez have led to some fans questioning Sanchez’s attitude and questioning whether he has played his last game for the club.

The worry for Brighton is that if Jason Steele were to get injured, they would have to call on the inexperienced Tom McGill, whose last senior appearance came in the Seagulls 2-1 win over Northampton in the Carabao Cup in November 2021.

Many Albion fans will be hoping that Sanchez will be involved in the squad again this season, as he has been a terrific player for the club and has saved his side many points over the last couple of seasons.