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Football London
Football London
Sport
Kieran Horn

Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga makes Spain World Cup squad as Man United star among names left out

Several Chelsea players have seen great improvements in their game since the arrival of Graham Potter as Blues manager and perhaps none more so than Kepa Arrizabalaga. The Spaniard has started every game under Potter keeping five clean sheets while producing some top-class saves in the process.

Edouard Mendy, who had been Chelsea's number one 'keeper since joining the club in 2020, missed Potter's debut in charge of the Blues against RB Salzburg with Arrizabalaga taking his place. Mendy returned to the squad for Chelsea's Champions League win over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge but found himself in an unfamiliar place of being on the bench.

Many expected Mendy to come straight back into the team, but Potter has stuck with Kepa amid impressive performances in particular against Aston Villa where he made a remarkable triple save.

READ MORE: Graham Potter's Chelsea undroppable and why he needs to stick with trusted formation vs Brighton

According to AS, The 28-year-old is now set to be rewarded for his impressive stint in between the sticks for Chelsea with a spot in Spain's 55-man preliminary World Cup squad.

Luis Enrique has reportedly sent off a squad of 55 players, of which his final 26-man squad will be selected from, that consists of five players in each position with Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea missing out entirely.

Brentford's David Raya and Brighton's Robert Sanchez are likely to remain above Kepa in the pecking order, but his inclusion in the preliminary squad shows Enrique has been impressed by his performances in west London and it's possible a starting place could be on the cards if he continues his notable displays.

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