Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is rated as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, his turnaround is complete
Kepa Arrizabalaga is the Premier League goalkeeper of the season this season according to a recent poll, marking a dramatic change in his fortunes at Chelsea.
To be fair, so far this season, Kepa's time at Stamford Bridge has been nothing short of a nightmare. The Spaniard became the most expensive goalkeeper in history when Chelsea signed him from Athletic Bilbao for £71.6m in 2018, but his performances have hardly matched worth that price.
A series of mistakes caused his confidence to plummet and when Frank Lampard replaced Maurizio Sarri as Chelsea manager, things only got worse.
Kepa recorded the worst save rate of any Premier League goalkeeper in the 2019/20 season, which has certainly contributed to Chelsea's signing of Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in 2020 . Mendy was started and played an important role in Chelsea's 2021 Champions League victory. Kepa's time at Chelsea seemed over, but this season he has completed one of the most surprising redemptive works of all time.
Mendy has been absent for most of the current season due to poor form plus shoulder and finger injuries. It gave Kepa an unexpected club swap, and the 28-year-old took advantage of it even more.
According to research by BetVictor, Kepa ranks first among the top 20 starting goalkeepers in the Premier League this season in terms of shot saves, a value calculated by percentage of saves and the number of goals saved in 90 minutes. Kepa is in good form in a Chelsea shirt this season
Kepa is in good form in a Chelsea shirt this season
Across 14 league appearances this season, Kepa has a save rate of 81.5%, while a staggering save rate of 0.54 goals per 90 minutes.
Although Newcastle's Nick Pope and Bournemouth's Neto have slightly better save rates (82.1% and 83%), respectively, Kepa still tops the overall standings with a score of 9.73.
Considering the beginning of his career at Chelsea and the widespread criticism he has received over the past few years, Kepa deserves immense credit.
When Mendy returns from injury, it will be interesting to see if Graham Potter sticks with the stellar goalkeeper or returns to the familiar No.
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Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have had a bit of a rivalry in recent years. Of course, there is the Kylian Mbappe transfer story. And while he may stay in the French capital, the story may not be over yet. The two teams also find themselves far apart in the European Super League debate.
And of course, they also clash on the pitch. Most recently, in the round of 16 of the Champions League last season, where Real Madrid defeated PSG.
Now, it looks like two teams could compete to sign a striker. It was none other than Brazil international and Tottenham Hotspur star Richarlison.
Rumors from Spain suggest that the Brazilian striker is on PSG's wish list. On the other hand, as ESPN reports, Real Madrid is pursuing Richarlison as a way to strengthen the attack. Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain both want the Brazilian star
Richarlison joined Tottenham Hotspur in the recent transfer window with a transfer package believed to be around £60m. However, the Brazilian striker did not perform as well as expected.
According to Transfermarkt statistics, he has scored 2 goals and has 3 assists in 20 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur so far.
The club had certainly hoped for a much better result from signing their star over the summer. At the same time, however, his lousy form does not appear to have affected interest in signing him. In contrast, even the biggest clubs seem to be watching his form.
Let's see what the future holds and whether either club make a summer move for Richarlison.
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