Why Chelsea should keep hold of Kepa Arrizabalaga
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are planning to hold on to their first-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Blues shot-stopper became the most expensive goalkeeper in the world when he was signed from Athletic Bilbao for a sum of £72million in 2018. After a successful maiden campaign, appearing in 36 league games and managing 14 clean sheets, the 25-year-old now faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.
Having started the season as the first-choice, Kepa soon fell out of favour under Lampard after a series of poor displays.
Kepa was dropped for five games this season by Lampard, casting serious doubts on the Spaniard’s future. Lampard opted to use veteran goalkeeper Willy Caballero as his main man for these games, giving hints that he was not satisfied by Kepa’s performance between the sticks.
However, being the side’s first-choice custodian, Kepa has played in 25 of their 29 league games. Lampard’s concern, however, seems to make sense, with the goalkeeper managing just six clean sheets this season.
To add to it, he has conceded 32 goals, forcing the Blues boss to look for better options. Chelsea were also credited with a move for AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, such a move has now been rebuffed by the Blues hierarchy, giving indications that they want to stick on to Kepa.
Chelsea should put more faith in Kepa
Despite Kepa’s sudden dip in form and dismal show between the sticks, Chelsea have had a successful outing this season under new boss Lampard. They are currently fourth in the league table, thanks to the side’s bunch of young academy graduates.
The youngsters have repaid their manager’s faith by delivering the goods at the right moment. Meanwhile, Chelsea do not have too many options in their goalkeeping department. They just have Kepa and Caballero available. However, Caballero is 38 already and is way past his prime.
Also, he is way behind Kepa in terms of talent, with the Spaniard’s figures from last season giving a clear indication of his worth. He was also crucial to their Europa League success last season, having kept 7 clean sheets from 13 games in the tournament.
Kepa has struggled this season mainly due to poor form, and it happens even to the biggest of stars. Rather than signing a new keeper, Chelsea should put a little more faith in their main man and go ahead with their decision to keep him in the side.
Read more:
- Why Alex Sandro could solve the left-back issue for Chelsea
- Why Victor Osimhen to Chelsea would bolster their attack
- Chelsea keen on signing £47m-rated Serie A star Gianluigi Donnarumma – The right move by Lampard?
Verdict
A player’s form is just a temporary matter and it’s the same with Kepa. Having spent so much money on the Spaniard, Chelsea would be making a blunder by letting him go so soon. Given his past records, they should just trust in their main man and save themselves from unnecessary spending.
