CWC FINAL: Why Kepa insists on leaving Chelsea
Chelsea fans have begun to see the great work of their goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga ahead their FIFA club world cup in Abu Dhabi where his performance earned them a place in the final.
Chelsea will face the Brazilian club side, Palmeiras on Saturday.
A report also claimed that Chelsea is opened to Kepa’s transfer away from Stamford Bridge.
Kepa lost his position as the goalkeeper to the first team at Stamford Bridge during the era of Frank Lampard.The Spanish goalkeeper was signed up from Athletic Bilbao to immediately take over the role of Thibaut Courtois. Courtois had forced a move to Real Madrid, the Belgian goalkeeper openly made known his desire to swap the Stamford Bridge for the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
It was a huge demand to expect a youngster to perform credibly well like established goalkeepers like Courtois. Chelsea power brokers were convinced that Kepa Arrizabalaga had what it takes to become a top goalkeeper for the Blues. It could have been this belief that made Chelsea spend a huge amount of funds to secure the services of the Spanish international.
The first year of Kepa at Chelsea was decent, he showed glimpses of what he could bring to the team. He was good at distributing the balls with his feet and dependable when it comes to saving a penalty kick.However, his fragile body build-up was considered to be a weakness in a league where physicality and the aggression of the game are high. Many fans expected that Kepa would build on the display of his first season at Stamford Bridge to become an established first-team player.
The second season for the Spanish goalkeeper was poor. His performance became inconsistent and made several basic errors. It could be difficult for a goalkeeper to get away with mistakes when representing one of the biggest teams in Europe.
Frank Lampard as the coach of Chelsea pushed for the signing of a new goalkeeper who could carry out his primary duties on the field without problems.
Edouard Mendy was signed from Rennes after he has been scouted by Chelsea for several months, the Senegalese international was made the first team goalkeeper immediately he joined the Blues.While Mendy has grown to become one of the best goalkeepers in the game of football, Kepa Arrizabalaga has been relegated to the bench.
The performance of the Spanish goalkeeper for Chelsea in the absence of Edouard Mendy shows that he has the talent to play as the first-team goalkeeper. He may need to push for a move away from Chelsea because getting ahead of the Mendy at Chelsea could turn out to be a difficult mission.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is a young goalkeeper who can become a better goalkeeper, he could only improve when he plays regularly. A stay at Chelsea could slow down his growth because of his inability to play regularly for the Blues.
There was a time Kepa was the first goalkeeper for the Spanish national football team. His poor display at Chelsea made him lose out on this position. He could get his way back into the Spanish team if he gets a team where he can play regularly.