Former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips says he doesn’t understand why Kepa Arrizabalaga is being allowed to leave Stamford Bridge for Arsenal.
The Spanish international has a £5m release clause in his contract, but speaking to Betway, Wright-Phillips claimed that the keeper did enough during his loan spell at Bournemouth to warrant another chance as the Blues’ No.1:
“I’m confused. I don’t understand. It’s like nobody’s been watching Kepa this season. He’s been unbelievable. He is part of the reason why Bournemouth finished where they finished. The defence was outstanding, but Kepa was unbelievable, as well, I thought. I assumed while the season was going on that Chelsea didn’t need to buy a goalkeeper because Kepa was going back anyway, but that isn’t to be the case.”
“You can have as good a goalkeeper as you want, but if you’re still going to make the same mistakes in defence, your goalkeeper is still going to concede. That’s just the fact of the matter. Alisson pulls off amazing saves when he’s needed. Half the time he has to pull off a save, it’s not forced errors. So if Chelsea can get their defence like that, where they’re not making him make unnecessary saves he shouldn’t have to make, then I think Kepa is your man to keep. You don’t need to forage around.”
“Most managers now are looking for goalkeepers that are good with their feet. I think Kepa’s alright with his feet, but he might not be at the level they want him to be. But for me, it’s a real strange one.”
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Chelsea had already identified a new No.1
The club’s attempts to buy Mike Maignan from AC Milan suggests that they have decided to move on from Kepa. Negotiations for France’s first-choice goalkeeper have broken down but they could be revived later in the summer.
Maignan is closing in on the final year of his contract and Milan will likely lower their demands the closer we get to the end of the transfer window.
At the moment, the Rossoneri are holding out for €30m (£25m), which is a fee that Enzo Maresca’s side are unwilling to pay. Read more to see why Christian Pulisic’s sale to Italy has had a bearing on the club’s stance.
2 more goalkeepers could depart
In addition to Kepa, it is believed that the Blues are open to offloading both Djordje Petrovic and Robert Sanchez if buyers can be found.
Petrovic spent last season on loan at Strasbourg and he is keen on finding a new team where he is guaranteed starts. The Serbian international was not selected in the Club World Cup squad.
Sanchez, meanwhile, had a campaign blighted by individual errors. Reports suggest that he has already been offered to West Ham in part-exchange for Mohammed Kudus.
In other news, Fabrizio Romano has given Chelsea a “35% chance” of signing a Manchester United player