Kepa Arrizabalaga

[Jase 43,479]

3 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Perhaps but it drums up competition and makes him look more sellable also if he cant displace him.

I have no doubts he is number 2 behind Mendy and will continue to play but the better he plays in the limited games he has, it pushes Mendy more and it means we have more chance of finding him a permanent move. 

Not sure if Kepa covered himself in glory for the goal conceded today.

Anyway, not sure if the very best keepers need competition to push them. All the best ones over the years - e.g. Cech, Neuer, Buffon - always maintain a high standard week in week out and their backups were average more often than not. Mendy has done well so far and long it may continue. If he keeps it up, he'll be up there with the very best. What we need now is a reliable #2 and not someone who will make us press the panic button whenever he plays!

[Magic Lamps 11,526]

He didn’t even make a bad mistake, just was his usual self, I.e. conceding from the first shot on target and making everyone around him worse and nervous. 
no way back for him here. The feeling is Mendy would havee saved that goal as well as most other ones Kepa conceded, which is why he will start for us the rest of the season

[lucio 5,418]

Hard to see anyone buying him, as a first choice keeper he is probably bottom of the table la Liga or even  segunda division standard. I imagine he will be loaned out for years and eventually leave for free like Torres. Hope he finds a good club in January 

[Vesper 27,634]

Chelsea’s Kepa problem: what do you do with the world’s most expensive keeper?

https://theathletic.com/2262355/2020/12/21/kepa-chelsea-future-transfer-goalkeeper/

Another transfer window is fast approaching and Chelsea are faced with the same problem as the last one: what to do with Kepa Arrizabalaga.

It doesn’t take a football expert to figure out that it would be best for both parties if Kepa could secure a move away of some description. Edouard Mendy has replaced the 26-year-old as first-choice goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge and the former’s ambition of playing for Spain at the European Championship next summer are diminishing with each week he watches games from the bench.

In turn, it is not healthy for Chelsea to have the world’s most expensive keeper — they agreed to pay Athletic Bilbao Kepa’s release clause of £71.6 million in 2018 — diminishing in value by not playing on a regular basis.

But getting people to accept why he needs to go is not the issue — it is the how that proved a major stumbling block earlier in the year, and is standing in the way of the quandary facing the two camps again now.

“It’s a tough sell. It’s a numbers thing,” Kepa’s former Chelsea team-mate Rob Green tells The Athletic. “Chelsea and (their director) Marina Granovskaia are not in the business of losing money. They have an asset which is depreciating greatly but with football clubs in the financial state they’re in, it’s going to be tough to put something together.

“I’m not even talking just about selling. Even a loan is going to be a struggle. The transfer fee and the wages (believed to be around £170,000 a week) is the biggest obstacle to resolving the situation.”

This is not coming from a man with any ill feeling toward Kepa. The two of them enjoyed a good relationship during their one season together at Chelsea in 2018-19.

But Green is just seeing what many others can see. As a leading football agent in the game explained to The Athletic: “Of course things are made more difficult by the fact Kepa is the most expensive keeper in the world. Then there is his form and what Chelsea consider the value of a move to be. Is there a business arrangement that works for everyone?

“There are two stages that need to be resolved: is there a gap in a squad and does the buying club have a big enough issue with their goalkeeping situation to want to look at Kepa both in the short and long term. Secondly, what does the financial package look like and where do Chelsea want to go within that from a loan point of view, covering wages and/or an option to buy. It’s very complicated.”

It is a view that appears to be shared among those within the west London club. As a source with a connection to Chelsea told The Athletic: “The club are hoping for an outcome that’s good for all but there is a concern it will be just as hard as to find as in the summer.”

Back then, there was talk in Spain of interest from Sevilla and Valencia over a possible loan deal but nothing of substance ever materialised. As the transfer deadline approached on October 5, no concrete offers from anyone in Europe had been forthcoming.

As things stand, there are no clubs in La Liga and the Premier League looking for or in need of a first-choice keeper in the new year either. To make matters worse, Athletic Bilbao have happily moved on with Unai Simon between the posts and he looks to have overtaken Kepa and David de Gea as Spain’s No 1.

Kepa’s chances of securing a move haven’t exactly been helped by making high-profile errors in Chelsea’s first two Premier League games of the season against Brighton and Liverpool. In Kepa’s defence, it can’t have been easy taking to the pitch knowing the club were talking to Rennes for weeks over the acquisition of Mendy, who ended up joining four days after the loss to Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Kepa has played just twice more since then. One of those was another outing to forget as Chelsea drew 3-3 at home to Southampton when Mendy was sidelined through injury, although Kurt Zouma was just as culpable for the goals conceded that day. The other was the Champions League dead rubber against Krasnodar last week, a situation where there was little to gain and lots to lose. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, yet the Spaniard had little chance with Remy Cabella’s shot into the bottom corner.

It should be pointed out that unlike Mendy, Kepa hasn’t had the benefit of playing behind the calming presence of centre-back Thiago Silva yet. Green can sympathise with what Kepa is going through, having experienced losing the No 1 berth at Queens Park Rangers when they bought Julio Cesar to take his spot in 2012.

He continues: “It is demoralising. You have that initial hurt, the damage to your pride. You lose face. You’ve gone from being the main man to (feeling like) you could be anybody. It’s a demotion in your own mind that you wouldn’t consider.

“On a practical level, being out of the side gives you an opportunity to work on different things as a goalkeeper; technical stuff, improving yourself mentally but in the back of your mind, you are thinking ‘I don’t know when this is for’. There is no focal point to your week, your month. The manager isn’t going to say to you in a month, ‘You’re playing’. That’s a very difficult dynamic in your brain to overcome.

“It’s the hardest thing about being a keeper — there is only one spot to get into the team. Outfield players can be squeezed in somewhere else, be played out of position. There is a lack of empathy around that. The only other people who understand are the other keepers and the goalkeeping coach. Players can look at you and say, ‘You’re having a brilliant time sitting on the bench doing nothing’ but it’s not like Harry Kane being rested in the Europa League, for example. You’re sat there bored. You want to be playing.”

So what does this all mean for Kepa when the window reopens? Well, for starters, he is not giving up. It is understood that the search for teams to join on a possible loan is under way, albeit nothing of note has presented itself yet.

But as the leading agent continues: “January is the hardest time for a goalkeeper to move. Some keepers have needed to change clubs and not got it for three-four windows — just think back to people like Jack Butland, Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet, to name just three.

“The transfer fee and the wages go against Kepa. It’s going to be a really difficult deal to do. The only way to move your client, from an agent’s point of view, is to be really active, to perhaps find a club where their keeper isn’t in top form. You’re trying to position your keeper as better than the one they’ve already got.

“The most important thing is to be aware of what the global market is doing. Then you have the obvious circumstance where a keeper gets injured between now and the end of January and that presents an opportunity. Chelsea and Kepa will try and be ahead of the curve in that and present him as an option.“

Kepa can look to January 2020 for reasons to be optimistic on that score. Pepe Reina joined Aston Villa on loan from AC Milan following an injury to Tom Heaton and, as a consequence, Asmir Begovic, who wasn’t featuring at Bournemouth, replaced Reina at the San Siro. Similarly, West Ham re-signed Darren Randolph from Middlesbrough for £4 million after Lukas Fabianksi was ruled out.

But this is very much the exception to the norm. “These are very specific slots,” Green says. “Someone has to have a real shortage and if someone goes, then a slot from the selling club also has to be filled. That’s why it rarely happens. 

“If you’ve got money to spend on fees and wages in January, invariably, you will spend it on a striker or an attacking player. You’re usually covered for keepers in a season, so to need one is unlikely and on the financial side of it, it is very rare you spend your budget on a keeper.

“If you’re a club, especially one struggling at the bottom, your main thinking is, ‘I don’t need someone to save me 15 goals’. You’re thinking, ‘I want one to score 15 goals’.

“This mindset exists because, as a keeper, you’re not seen to be creating something — you’re just stopping something. If you make a save, people will say ‘he should have saved that’. It’s quickly forgotten. Should a striker do a bit of skill and fire one in from 25 yards, people think, ‘If he does stuff like that a number of times, we stay up, achieve our ambitions’.”

Despite the doom and gloom, sources suggest Kepa is continuing to do his utmost in training and is in a good place mentally. One insider says he has been taken by surprise at just how calm the keeper is. That is to Kepa’s credit given this has clearly been the most challenging 12 months of his professional career.

It is believed he actually found being dropped in favour of Willy Caballero back in February the hardest thing to deal with. This was a man who expected to be Chelsea’s No 1 for the long term — he signed a seven-year contract after all — and suddenly, a veteran back-up was playing instead.

In March, he regained his place only for a couple more unexpected setbacks to hand him another blow. Firstly, after keeping two clean sheets in high-profile victories against Liverpool — where the crowd chanted his name — and Everton, football was postponed for three months due to COVID-19. And just as he was dealing with the reality of that, his girlfriend broke up with him and moved back to Spain. It meant he went through lockdown in the UK and then the constant scrutiny over his form while living on his own.

When the campaign resumed, so did Kepa’s struggles. By the time Chelsea suffered a 5-3 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in July, defenders had lost confidence in him and he’d lost confidence in himself. Kepa didn’t even complain about being dropped for Caballero again for the FA Cup semi-final, FA Cup final and Champions League tie at Bayern Munich. And, as revealed in September, sources speak of a man who is uncomfortable if a conversation begins about how he can improve parts of his game. He’d rather the subject not be broached at all.

However, as mentioned above, he has responded as well as can be expected to Mendy’s arrival. Kepa continues to get a lot of backing from inside the club too, which helps. On top of Lampard speaking positively whenever the subject is raised in press conferences, it is believed Granovskaia has been in contact to support him. So too technical and performance director Petr Cech, who has encouraged him to maintain levels in training sessions.

In saying that, the former Czech Republic international’s decision to come out of retirement in October and be named in the Premier League squad didn’t exactly do much for Kepa’s reputation. Despite the club’s explanation it was a precautionary measure due to COVID-19, it got people talking about whether Chelsea were considering turning to the 38-year-old instead of Kepa: something that didn’t go unnoticed among those closest to him.

Still, after being singled out to blame whenever Chelsea dropped points — and there were a lot of statistics to put the spotlight on him (worst save percentage in the Premier League, most goals conceded from outside the penalty area) — the fact Lampard’s side have lost successive games with Mendy in goal perhaps suggests the club’s struggle to win the title again run a lot deeper than the form of just one man.

As the last two results have shown, fortunes in football can change very quickly. With Chelsea’s history of firing managers, no one knows how long Lampard will remain in charge and should someone new come in, Kepa would understandably regard it as an opportunity to get his place back.

One would expect Chelsea’s FA Cup third-round tie against Morecambe on January 10 to be Kepa’s next outing. “It’s the kind of game where you think, ‘Gee, thanks’ if you’re selected,” Green says. “As a player you’re thinking ‘What can I gain out of this?’. How can you prove a point against Morecambe? It could be the best save in the world; it won’t change things. It’s only Morecambe.

“I really wish the best for Kepa and hope he finds a solution but he has to be first choice. There is no point swapping one bench for another. Where can you find someone that hard up in one of the top divisions like the Premier League or La Liga?”

It is certainly a conundrum and there is no easy answer.

[Vegetable 796]

Genuinely smiled when saw Rob Green input, especially given he looks really eloquent guy.

I think everything to be said was already said in this topic; It's a toxic situation for Kepa and toxic situation for Chelsea. Last season he had regressed below level of top-flight football so I can't really see a team that could be interested in either loan of buy, sport-wise. Actually, with his reputation, joining any other team would be no less pressure, than playing here. I guess he would have to redempt himself, showing some quality in Chelsea and that think about moving elsewhere, but it's unlikely he'll get a chance.

Maybe some troubled / in transition team could make use of him, like Monaco or Herta, or Netherlands / Portugal could be a way, but it's unlikely due to finances. Tough situation, but I keep my fingers crossed it will come out good for Kepa and CFC somehow.

[Tomo 21,686]

4 hours ago, Vegetable said:

Genuinely smiled when saw Rob Green input, especially given he looks really eloquent guy.

I think everything to be said was already said in this topic; It's a toxic situation for Kepa and toxic situation for Chelsea. Last season he had regressed below level of top-flight football so I can't really see a team that could be interested in either loan of buy, sport-wise. Actually, with his reputation, joining any other team would be no less pressure, than playing here. I guess he would have to redempt himself, showing some quality in Chelsea and that think about moving elsewhere, but it's unlikely he'll get a chance.

Maybe some troubled / in transition team could make use of him, like Monaco or Herta, or Netherlands / Portugal could be a way, but it's unlikely due to finances. Tough situation, but I keep my fingers crossed it will come out good for Kepa and CFC somehow.

Problem with Kepa is he hasn't atall responded well to Mendy's arrival. Last year despite everything we had two things to cling onto A) for all the tame shots going in he wasn't making many if any spectacular meme like errors and B ) the hope the main issue was the lack of competition and it made him complacent.

This season he started knowing Mendy was coming in and if he had anything about him that would have triggered a response but instead he's got even worse. If the reports are true that he's kept his head up then props to him but i don't want to see him in our shirt again, if god for bid Mendy goes down we should go down the route Klopp did and pick Ziger.

[King Kante 1,346]

6 hours ago, Tomo said:

Problem with Kepa is he hasn't atall responded well to Mendy's arrival. Last year despite everything we had two things to cling onto A) for all the tame shots going in he wasn't making many if any spectacular meme like errors and B ) the hope the main issue was the lack of competition and it made him complacent.

This season he started knowing Mendy was coming in and if he had anything about him that would have triggered a response but instead he's got even worse. If the reports are true that he's kept his head up then props to him but i don't want to see him in our shirt again, if god for bid Mendy goes down we should go down the route Klopp did and pick Ziger.

You mean apart from that Ziyech one, where he allowed the ball to go right across goal because he didn't move his feet properly then had the ball slam into his face. That image where the ball makes impact with his face is one of the funniest pictures I have seen in football for years. Only Phil Jones tops that. 

[Jase 43,479]

Chelsea have not given up on Kepa Arrizabalaga — but he is running out of chances

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/02/10/Chelsea-have-not-given-kepa-arrizabalaga-running-chances/

It was no coincidence that Kepa Arrizabalaga was officially unveiled as a Chelsea player just an hour after Thibaut Courtois had been presented by Real Madrid back in August, 2018.

Losing Courtois had been a blow and, with Kepa’s proud family in attendance for his £71.6million club record signing, Chelsea were keen to show off the world’s most expensive goalkeeper in a packed Stamford Bridge press room. But, two-and-a-half years later, it may be inside an empty Oakwell Stadium on Thursday night that the Spaniard attempts to pick up the pieces of his career against Barnsley in the FA Cup.

Kepa’s situation at Chelsea had become irretrievable before Frank Lampard was sacked and Thomas Tuchel was appointed as his successor. It might still be the case that the 26-year-old is fighting a losing battle to convince the club’s latest head coach that he can make a comeback of Lazarus proportions.

But whether Tuchel’s arrival offers a new start for Kepa or proves to be the beginning of the end of his time at Chelsea, he will hope that his slate has at least been wiped clean in preparation for what follows.

There remains a sense that Chelsea would like Kepa to be given a second chance before having to make a final decision on his future. Director Marina Granovskaia took time out from her summer break last year to share a personal heart-to-heart with the player in an effort to offer support and try to plot a path forward.

Lampard had initially recommended replacing him with Jan Oblak, but Chelsea did not want to break the record for the most expensive goalkeeper for a second time and did not want to shut the door on Kepa at that stage, so Edouard Mendy was signed for £20m on the recommendation of Petr Cech instead.

Mendy’s clean sheet percentage is already far higher than Kepa’s and the Senegal international has only conceded once in Tuchel’s first four games in charge, meaning he will remain the first-choice goalkeeper even if Kepa continues to play in the FA Cup and performs well.

The finances involved in signing Kepa on a seven-year contract are, of course, important to Granovskaia and Chelsea, but so is the welfare of one of their employees who is still viewed as an asset by those who work with him and come into contact with him on a daily basis.

Those close to Kepa insist he remains happy in his work, albeit not with his form or being out of the team, and he has never been viewed as a negative personality at the training ground, under Maurizio Sarri, Lampard or now Tuchel.

His head may drop in the aftermath of a mistake, but Kepa has not sulked and he continues to train well and offer a cheery fist-bump to non-playing members of Chelsea’s first-team bubble.

Nobody at Chelsea or within Kepa’s circle has attempted to excuse his disappointing performances or hide from the fact that he has not lived up to expectations. But there is context that is worth adding to the criticisms that he has had to become used to dealing with.

Not least the fact that Kepa, who comes from a close-knit and supportive family, has lived through most of the coronavirus pandemic in solitude in his flat since splitting up with his long-term girlfriend roughly a year ago.

Not only would he rate this as the most difficult time of his professional career, it has also been an incredibly challenging period of Kepa’s personal life during which he has not been able to see family and friends.

Alone in a foreign country, without anybody to personally confide in over his troubles, Kepa has been left with his thoughts for long periods, which perhaps helps to explain why he decided he no longer needed to see the opinions of strangers on social media.

It would appear that it was following a message posted on Twitter in which he paid his respects to Diego Maradona after the Argentine legend’s death that Kepa decided enough was enough.

The replies to the tweet in which Kepa had written the message ‘RIP Diego’ were littered with responses reminding him of his poor form and making crass remarks over the state of his Chelsea career.

When Kepa next tweeted, just over two weeks later on Christmas Eve, only people he follows or who he had mentioned in his message were able to reply. And so it has remained.

While not thought to be obsessive about social media, Kepa is responsible for his own Twitter account and the decision to disable the comments of strangers is believed to have been his own.

Those close to him do not get the sense he had been particularly upset or hurt by the unkind replies, but had simply decided that he did not need to expose himself to any added negativity during a time of unrelenting scrutiny.

The decision may also have been taken with his family and friends in mind, who would no doubt have been upset by the replies to Kepa’s messages that they would have scrolled through.

If and when Kepa reopens his Twitter replies to the public could depend on whether or not he can win back his Chelsea place or eventually move elsewhere to try to revive his career. 

A first appearance under Tuchel against Barnsley would not offer the chance of redemption, but it may be an opportunity for Kepa to start putting the past behind him.

[NikkiCFC 7,723]

Outrage over Kepa starting was funny to me. We have rotation for every position, why not GK? Made some good saves against Luton and Burnsley and today again. If you read this pages you will see people had zero issues with him in first season under Sarri. 

He can be that guy again under Tuchel. At least it is nice to have 2 solid GKs. 

Mendy had clean sheets lately but he didn't face anything yet under Tuchel unlike Kepa who did solid and deserves to play. 

Tuchel will help him to get his confidence back. This is great management. 

Lampard for instance after Kai scored het trick was completely left out week later against Spurs and we played that game 4231 which was best for him. 

Also after he scored and had assist against 4th division team he didn't start against Luton like week later. 

So Lamps didn't help him which is Tuchel doing now with Kepa. 

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by NikkiCFC

[Jase 43,479]

 

[Vesper 27,634]

5 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Outrage over Kepa starting was funny to me. We have rotation for every position, why not GK? Made some good saves against Luton and Burnsley and today again. If you read this pages you will see people had zero issues with him in first season under Sarri. 

He can be that guy again under Tuchel. At least it is nice to have 2 solid GKs. 

Mendy had clean sheets lately but he didn't face anything yet under Tuchel unlike Kepa who did solid and deserves to play. 

Tuchel will help him to get his confidence back. This is great management. 

Lampard for instance after Kai scored het trick was completely left out week later against Spurs and we played that game 4231 which was best for him. 

Also after he scored and had assist against 4th division team he didn't start against Luton like week later. 

So Lamps didn't help him which is Tuchel doing now with Kepa. 

 

you would never have posted this if he had went 'normal' and let in 2 howlers

sure, it is good to get him some playing time, BUT the EPL is no joke

[Jase 43,479]

4 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Outrage over Kepa starting was funny to me. We have rotation for every position, why not GK? Made some good saves against Luton and Burnsley and today again. If you read this pages you will see people had zero issues with him in first season under Sarri. 

He can be that guy again under Tuchel. At least it is nice to have 2 solid GKs. 

Mendy had clean sheets lately but he didn't face anything yet under Tuchel unlike Kepa who did solid and deserves to play. 

Tuchel will help him to get his confidence back. This is great management. 

Lampard for instance after Kai scored het trick was completely left out week later against Spurs and we played that game 4231 which was best for him. 

Also after he scored and had assist against 4th division team he didn't start against Luton like week later. 

So Lamps didn't help him which is Tuchel doing now with Kepa. 

Pretty sure Kepa's save stats under Sarri weren't great reading either.

And if we want to be a serious team, one that is properly challenging for major trophies, we shouldn't be changing the goalkeeper week in week out. You choose one and stick with him. Only change if the #1 goes off the rail. 

[Jase 43,479]

Just now, Vesper said:

you would never have posted this if he had went 'normal' and let in 2 howlers

sure, it is good to get him some playing time, BUT the EPL is no joke

Exactly. Kepa was barely tested because Newcastle were partly awful going forward. 

Imagine the scenes if Kepa starts against Atletico and he makes a blunder (we know he's more than capable of making one) and costs us the match!

[Vesper 27,634]

Just now, Jason said:

Exactly. Kepa was barely tested because Newcastle were partly awful going forward. 

Imagine the scenes if Kepa starts against Atletico and he makes a blunder (we know he's more than capable of making one) and costs us the match!

I don't have full confidence in Mendy ffs, let alone Kepa!!

I cannot take the nervousness if he were to start every game (which thank fuck he will not)

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I don't have full confidence in Mendy ffs, let alone Kepa!!

I cannot take the nervousness if he were to start every game (which thank fuck he will not)

Mendy over Kepa any day. At least we know Mendy is not gonna drop random blunders or he will save shots that he should be saving. 

[Tomo 21,686]

6 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Outrage over Kepa starting was funny to me. We have rotation for every position, why not GK? Made some good saves against Luton and Burnsley and today again. If you read this pages you will see people had zero issues with him in first season under Sarri. 

Did you have this same energy when Turnbull had an okay game?

There was 'outrage' because he's proven to be catastrophic time and time again, and you mention his saves in those games but he also made criminal errors in both that we won't continue to get away with. The only other game this season before tonight he didn't make a big error was Krasnador and even then Mendy would have likely saved if not caught the shot that went in.

Regarding his first season, his flaws were there to see even then we just gave him the benefit of the doubt/tried to convince ourselves it was a first season in England thing.

[Tomo 21,686]

1 minute ago, Jason said:

Mendy over Kepa any day. At least we know Mendy is not gonna drop random blunders or he will save shots that he should be saving. 

Is it just me who sees Mendy make some pretty simple saves and thinks Kepa would let that in and make it look unsaveable? Billy Sharp's overhead kick for example.

[Jase 43,479]

3 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Is it just me who sees Mendy make some pretty simple saves and thinks Kepa would let that in and make it look unsaveable? Billy Sharp's overhead kick for example.

Yes? Am sure there are many Chelsea fans out there who worry Kepa will concede a goal when the opposition take a shot, regardless of whether it's good or bad. We don't need that uncertainty in defence. And worth remembering that he conceded a stupid goal recently against Luton. 

Going by Tuchel's post-match comments, it seems like he only played Kepa tonight because it was Newcastle, one of the most toothless sides in the league. Had that say been one of the top 10 sides, Mendy would have played. Tuchel said he wants to give a fresh start to everyone but at the same time, I would also like to think he's not stupid or blind on why players like Kepa, Alonso weren't playing much at all under Lampard.