When Chelsea completed the big-money signing of Spanish stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga from La Liga, a large number of expectations were placed on the Spaniard’s head. For starters, the Blues’ requirement was to replace Belgian stopper Thibaut Courtois, who had decided on a switch to Real Madrid already and was currently among the best keepers in the world. The current Los Blancos number one was preceded by Czech stopper Petr Cech, who many consider to be the greatest goalkeeper of the entire Premier League era.
Filling massive boots like that was never going to be an easy task, and the club-record fee involved in the transfer certainly didn’t help his immediate cause either. There were certain signs of positivity at the off, but over time, the Spaniard’s fragilities and apparent inability to control the box came into the limelight. Since that point, the shot-stopper’s career as a Blue has been questioned, and despite various errors, he seemed to be powering through. Lampard dropped him at around the midway point of the season and kept him out of the side for a while.
Having come back into the team a couple of fixtures before the lockdown, it was slowly beginning to look like the gaffer had drilled some enthusiasm into the keeper during his time on the bench. Despite isolated moments of good goalkeeping, the former La Liga ace’s struggles in between the sticks continued. The 25-year-old boasts the worst save percentage of all the first-choice keepers in the entirety of the Premier League. Not just that, Chelsea also possess the unwanted record of having conceded the second most number of goals from set-piece situations this season, behind only 20th place Norwich City.
Here Are Three Kepa Replacements That Chelsea Should Look To Sign:
Three Kepa Replacements That Chelsea Should Look To Sign
Jan Oblak
The Atletico Madrid man has been linked with a move to the Stamford Bridge club over recent weeks, as has been conveyed in this report by the Evening Standard. The 27-year-old has been the first-choice at Atletico Madrid for quite a while now, and it’s safe to say that he’s among the best in the world at making saves on his line. Quite possibly the highest-rated keeper in all of European football at this moment, the Slovenian international would quite simply walk into the eleven of any team in the world, let alone just Chelsea.
Andre Onana
The Ajax man is another goalkeeper who has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge by the same Evening Standard report. The Cameroonian offers a much more dynamic presence in between the sticks, as he is strong in charging forward and dealing with aerial balls played into the box. Quite rapid for a man of his size and stature, the 24-year-old would offer a much more commanding presence at the back for the Blues, that could in turn help bring the best out of the defenders positioned in front of him.
Dean Henderson
The Manchester United man spent the last season on loan at Sheffield United and saying that his performances for the Blades turned heads would only act as an understatement. As has been clarified by the Daily Mirror, Chelsea are said to be lining up a £55m move in an attempt to acquire the Englishman’s services. Although he is contracted to the Old Trafford club until the summer of 2022, Henderson is said to be demanding certain guarantees from the Red Devils over his place in the side, a situation that’s unlikely to take shape owing to the presence of David De Gea.
