Kepa Arrizabalaga has revealed he will hold talks over his future at Chelsea with manager Thomas Tuchel.
The most expensive goalkeeper in the history of the game, the Spaniard has been reduced to a back-up role since the signing of Edouard Mendy in 2020.
Noted as somewhat of a penalty expert, the 27-year-old did not save a single effort in the shootout during the Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool in February and was not brought on for the FA Cup final edition against the same opponent.
While the former Athletic Bilbao stopper did generally operate as Tuchel’s cup goalkeeper last season, Kepa has revealed he is eager to play more.
Limited to only four Premier League appearances, the club are open to a sale should a sizeable offer emerge, although recouping anything close to the £72m spent on the Spanish international in 2018 looks extremely unlikely.
Speaking to Marca, Kepa said: “I’m excited, ambitious, eager to start, to enjoy myself and, above all, to play more. I want to be on the pitch more.
“The conversation with him [Tuchel] is easy; on a day-to-day basis, he is totally accessible to the players. With me personally, I notice the affection and confidence he has in me.
“Obviously, I want to play more. It’s true that he’s giving another teammate [Mendy] a lift, and that’s what I’m trying to change in my day-to-day life; I want to play, and that’s what I’m training and preparing for.
“Right now, I’m a Chelsea player, but what I know is that I want to play more because, after a year or two where, when I have played, I have had a great return.
“I’m not desperate. At the end of the day, I’m at a very big club… I’ll talk to the coach, and we’ll decide, but with a clear message that I want to play more.
