Why Chelsea should not make a move for Nick Pope in the summer
According to The Mirror, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard wants to sell goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in the summer and has drawn up a three-man wishlist to replace him. Burnley’s Nick Pope is on top of the wishlist along with Crystal Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, 25, became the most expensive goalkeeper in the world when the Blues splashed out £71.6m to sign him from Athletic Bilbao in 2018. He was an ever-present figure under previous manager Maurizio Sarri last season. His form has dipped this term, however, with Lampard dropping the Spaniard for the game against Leicester City on Sunday.
The report adds that Lampard has run out of patience with Kepa and wants to offload him in the summer but Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia – who was instrumental in bringing the goalkeeper to Stamford Bridge – is less than impressed at the prospect of selling the keeper for a lower price than they paid Athletic Bilbao in 2018.
Lampard failed to bring in any players during the January transfer window and publicly voiced his frustrations at the end of last month. (h/t the Metro) The Blues have done well to cope with the departure of Eden Hazard this season, with Lampard’s men scoring 43 goals in 25 games. However, it’s the other side of the pitch where they have struggled.
Chelsea have conceded 34 goals in the league, with the likes of Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori failing to live up to the standards. Above all, the defenders have also been let down by their goalkeeper Kepa, who has made a few errors this campaign. Having said that, should the Blues replace Kepa with Nick Pope?
Pope, 27, is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the league’s top goalkeepers, having enjoyed two solid seasons with Burnley. He has been in good form this season, with the Clarets currently 11th in the table.
Read more
- Why Chelsea should go for Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure in the summer
- Why Chelsea must hold on to Willian amidst Barcelona interest
- Why Chelsea should avoid a move for Allan Arigoni
As per WhoScored, Pope has averaged 26.9 passes, 7.8 long balls and a 37.6% pass accuracy, whilst conceding 38 goals and keeping nine clean sheets. Kepa, on the other hand, has averaged 28.3 passes, 3.8 long balls and 78.4% pass accuracy, whilst conceding 32 goals and keeping five clean sheets. [Courtesy: WhoScored]
Verdict
Upon comparing their stats, one can see that Kepa has better distribution skills than Pope. The Burnley shot-stopper may have kept more clean sheets but going purely by the numbers, he wouldn’t be an upgrade on Kepa. Hence, Lampard should drop his interest in Pope and continue with Kepa for the time being.
