According to Spanish outlet Cope (h/t The Mirror), Chelsea shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga might have played his last game for the club, with boss Frank Lampard deciding to freeze him out for the rest of the season.
The report also suggests that Lampard is desperate for a new goalkeeper when the transfer window reopens in the summer due to a lack of consistency from both Kepa and Willy Caballero.
The Blues, unlike some of the Premier League teams, don’t have three goalkeepers in their ranks. They are currently placed 4th in the league but their inconsistency could prove to be costly by the end of the season.
Though they have a good squad overall, the defensive unit has become a problem for the manager. The 6-time Premier League champions have conceded 34 goals so far – which is the highest among the top 8 clubs in the table this season.
They have been quite vulnerable at the back and the game against Leicester City highlighted the need for a new person between the sticks. Caballero was deployed ahead of first-choice Kepa and he conceded 2 goals that allowed the Foxes to escape from a defeat.
The Argentine has a bad record and his disastrous performance in the 2018 World Cup paved the way for the Lionel Messi-led side to exit the competition. He has also featured less since moving to Stamford Bridge in 2017.
On the other hand, Kepa has underperformed this season. In his debut season with the club, he featured in all but two league games. He conceded only 39 games throughout the last campaign in the league and had kept 14 clean sheets. This term, he has already conceded 32 in just 24 games, keeping only 5 clean sheets.
The Spaniard, who was bought for £71.6m by Chelsea, making him the most expensive goalkeeper is 18th on the list of players for the most number of saves made this season with 41 stops. He has made just 1.71 saves per game on average, and has a save percentage of just 56.16%, which is too low when compared to Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka, who has made the most number of saves in the league this season (103). [Stat courtesy: Premier League]
The 25-year-old has not lived up to the expectations of top-flight football and his performances in the Champions League have also added to his poor record. The fact that he conceded 9 goals in the group stages necessitates a change in Chelsea’s goalkeeping department.
With Caballero ageing and Kepa struggling, Chelsea must sign a new goalkeeper as soon as the summer transfer window commences.
