Kepa Arrizabalaga would like to leave Chelsea this summer, according to Matt Law from The Telegraph. The second string goalkeeper has struggled for game time since the arrival of Edouard Mendy in the 2020 summer transfer window. Mendy easily assumed his role as first-choice goalkeeper. Petr Cech himself handpicked the Senegal international for Frank Lampard at the time in hopes of solving their unreliability issues in goal.
Despite his heroics in cup competitions and penalty shootouts, Kepa was not classified as the most reliable keeper, yet he holds the title of the most expensive. Buying him at £72 million in 2018, Chelsea made the Spaniard the most expensive goalkeeper in history. It never seems to work out for the big money signings at Chelsea. They have Kepa, Romelu Lukaku, Fernando Torres, Andriy Shevchenko, e.t.c. to take precedence from.
Now that Kepa wants to leave the club, his price tag and wage demands would make it tricky for Marina Granovskaia and her team to negotiate.
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There is are many reasons why Chelsea fans have given Thibaut Courtois the cold shoulder since his departure in 2018. The keeper left the club on bad terms, but he also forced us into a panic buy. Kepa Arrizabalaga was not necessarily the ideal replacement for the Belgian, but he had shown great potential playing for his former club, Athletic Bilbao. The 27-year-old was set to prove his doubters wrong, but the story hasn't quite gone as he'd hoped.
Speaking on the 'London is Blue' podcast, Chelsea journalist Matt Law says,
"Kepa wants to leave Chelsea. There hasn't been a row. Everyone is so praiseworthy of Kepa's attitude. He's got a World Cup to aim at, but selling a goalkeeper who cost that much money and is on those wages is incredibly difficult."
According to Spotrac, Kepa is currently earning £155,000 a week. Almost £100,000 more than first-choice keeper Mendy. Chelsea are open to his departure, but they will struggle to sell in this market. There is a team that I could think of that would have no trouble paying his wages. Europe's richest football club, Newcastle United.
As per the Athletic, Newcastle are interested in bringing Kepa over to St James' Park. There's no surprise there as they will be looking to become a formidable team in some respect with their newly found wealth. Kepa is still a top goalkeeper and has the experience to secure a position as a first-choice goalkeeper. Selling to a team that could potentially rival the Blues in the near future is a risk. I'm sure Thomas Tuchel will have much to think about if it comes down to it.
The last thing Chelsea wants to do is keep an unhappy goalkeeper. They will need another keeper to challenge Mendy for that top spot. But whilst there's a chance to sell Kepa and trade his wages for a cheaper alternative, Marina Granovskaia should take it.
