Chelsea news: Kepa Arrizabalaga’s time at Chelsea has been eventful, to say the least. The Spanish goalkeeper made the headlines after his big-money switch to Stamford Bridge under Maurizio Sarri in the 2018/19 season.
Moreover, Kepa Arrizabalaga’s signing was done under pressure situation as well. With Thibaut Courtois going absent without leave, Chelsea quickly had to look for a new goalkeeper. And this they managed by signing the Spanish shot-stopper.
In his first season, Kepa Arrizabalaga managed to earn silverware as Chelsea won the UEFA Europa League. They defeated Arsenal 4-1 at Baku to register their second Europa League title.
However, even then his performance was not at its peak. But the main drama came in the season following that. Under Frank Lampard, Kepa Arrizabalaga had a horrid time in between the sticks and was utterly poor.
Arrizabalaga lacked confidence and Chelsea conceded almost every match. One extremely crucial weak point was the fact that Chelsea conceded very frequently from corners and set pieces. Additionally, long-range shots were also Kepa’s nemesis.
With that poor record, Frank Lampard had to look for alternatives. And this he did after signing Senegalese international Eduoard Mendy from Rennes. So far Eduoard Mendy has been stellar at goal and is one of the best around.
Chelsea news: Maurizio Sarri wants a reunion with Kepa Arrizabalaga
Former Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri has now expressed his interest in signing Kepa Arrizabalaga. The Lazio manager is keen on replacing Pepe Reina and wants the Chelsea number two at the Italian club. According to reports in Italy, Maurizio Sarri wants a reunion with the Spaniard.
Sarri has a long-standing history with Kepa Arrizabalaga which dates back to the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City in 2019. The Italian coach wanted to substitute Kepa Arrizabalaga for Willy Caballero but Kepa Arrizabalaga insisted that he was staying on the field.
This led to a huge row. Maurizio Sarri began shouting and cursing on the sideline. However, Kepa Arrizabalaga still did not leave the ground. Eventually, Chelsea lost that penalty shootout.
“In that situation, there was a big misunderstanding,” Sarri said at that time. I understood there was a problem and we needed a change. I didn’t find out until the doctor arrived at the bench after a few minutes.
“It was a big misunderstanding. I understood the goalkeeper had cramps and for me, he was unable to go to penalties but the problem was not cramping so he was able to go to penalties.”
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga would be a ‘dream’ signing for Lazio and the player would ‘willingly return to work’ with Maurizio Sarri. Kepa Arrizabalaga was linked with Lazio last summer transfer window as well. But the move, in the end, did not go through. The Serie A outfit is considering to go for Kepa Arrizabalaga once again.
