Chelsea FC legend Ashley Cole has voiced his concern of his former club being able to find suitable buyers for outcast Kepa Arrizabalaga this summer. The Spanish goalkeeper is widely tipped to leave the Blues ahead of next season. The 25-year old shot-stopper has been benched for recent games by Frank Lampard in favor of Willy Cabellero.
Cole, however, feels that Chelsea FC’s inability to find a buyer for Kepa will be down to the fact that an enormous transfer fee had been paid by the Blues to sign the Spaniard back in 2018. As a result, the club will be looking to recoup a major part of their £71.6million investment in the 25-year old goalkeeper.
According to reports, signing Kepa this summer will cost the other sides a fee in the region of £50 million. Considering the current state of footballing revenues being cut short due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, forking out £50 million to sign an out-of-form Kepa does seem to be an unlikely possibility.
The Spaniard’s showings in the goal of late have been nothing but inconsistent and error-prone. Once regarded as one of the world’s most promising goalkeeping talents, Kepa has endured a very rough season between the sticks for Chelsea FC. The 25-year old has been a shadow of his former self, witnessed during his stint at Athletic Bilbao.
Frank Lampard’s side have conceded 54 goals, more than any other side in the top ten of the Premier League. Such a high number has largely been attributed to Kepa’s shoddiness in goal and a number of other defensive woes amongst the Chelsea FC backline. The Blues manager has thus made the decision to bring in new additions this summer to bolster his defense.
Alan Shearer, the legendary English striker, stated that Lampard will be in the transfer market for a new goalkeeper. He added that the Chelsea FC boss has completely lost faith in Kepa’s abilities as a first-choice goalkeeper.
The Blues continue to be linked with a number of top goalkeepers in the current transfer window. Ajax’s Andre Onana is considered the frontrunner to replace Kepa in goal for Chelsea FC next season. Moreover, names like Jan Oblak and Nick Pope have also been rumored to be on Frank Lampard’s shortlist this summer.
