A handful of senior players are anticipated to be sold by Chelsea before the upcoming season as Todd Boehly plans to continue spending lavishly during the summer transfer window.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was criticized for his performance in the 2-2 draw with Everton prior to the international break, and Chelsea have been pushed to offload him during the summer transfer window. The Spanish goalkeeper was acquired by the Blues in a £72 million transfer from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, but things haven't quite gone according to plan for him at Stamford Bridge.
Kepa has taken over as Chelsea's No. 1 goalkeeper from Edouard Mendy, who was replaced by Graham Potter after being hired. The 31-year-old had only made five appearances before losing his spot to the Spaniard. Prior to Mendy's arrival in 2020, Kepa was a regular and has maintained 11 clean sheets in 26 games to maintain his position.
Although Kepa may be preferred to Mendy in Potter's starting lineup, there are still questions regarding the Spaniard's skill set given that Chelsea is reportedly interested in hiring a new starting goalkeeper this summer. Before the upcoming season, Stamford Bridge has been connected to both David Raya of Brentford and Andre Onana of Inter Milan.
Alisson and Ederson, two of the greatest shot-stoppers in Europe, have both been signed by Liverpool and Manchester City, demonstrating the constant success that may result from doing so. When Potter took over as Chelsea's manager, he insisted that he had no plans for a first-choice goalkeeper and would instead let Kepa and Mendy compete. However, neither has performed well this season, which may force Potter to sign a new goalkeeper this summer.
Ben Foster, a veteran Premier League goalkeeper, criticized Kepa for his part in Ellis Simms' dramatic late equalizer at Stamford Bridge following the 2-2 draw against Everton last weekend. "Let's speak about Everton's equalizer because I think Kepa should save it - a top goalkeeper saves it," Foster wrote on his YouTube channel.
"This is a crucial moment; if he makes that save, it'll be 2-1 and three points will be awarded, making everyone happy. These are the fine lines, but a top goaltender should be able to stop that, in my opinion.
"I understand that it's a little awkward, but you need to make those big saves - he came up just a little short. Kepa is not, in my opinion, the proper candidate for the job.
"He isn't, in my opinion, a long-term fix. By the end of the season, either Mendy will become healthy and rejoin the team, or they will need to go out and sign a player.
"By the way, they spent £70 million on Kepa and £25 million on Mendy. About £100 million was spent on goalkeepers.
Kepa was on the verge of moving from Chelsea to Italy last summer, but the deal fell through at the last minute, according to football.london's sources. Although the Spanish goalkeeper's situation at Stamford Bridge has drastically changed, negotiations to bring in a new goalkeeper are still ongoing at the club. As a result, neither Kepa nor Mendy are guaranteed to be Potter's first-choice goalkeeper for the upcoming campaign.
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