Kepa Arrizabalaga has completed a season-long loan to Real Madrid. The Chelsea goalkeeper missed the Blues’ opening day clash versus Liverpool in anticipation of the move.
The Spaniard will join up with former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti after Los Blancos entered the market for a new goalkeeper after Thibaut Courtois picked up an injury. The Belgian international suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and is likely to miss the majority of the season.
Kepa looked set to be Chelsea’s No.1 for the season following the sale of Edouard Mendy, and was cemented in the role throughout the club’s pre-season tour of the USA. As recently as Friday, Mauricio Pochettino admitted that Kepa was ahead of new signing Robert Sanchez in his thinking, though the arrival of the former Brighton star, did add competition for his place.
Pochettino admitted on Sunday that Kepa was left out of the matchday squad for the opening day of the Premier League season as the 28-year-old was exploring the possibility to depart.
2He has to explore different situations and possibilities,” said Pochettino. “Yesterday we were talking and for us the decision is to have all of the players that are committed to Chelsea for the season and that is why he was not in the squad.”
The move will see Kepa, who joined the club in the summer of 2018 to replace Courtois in west London, return to the Blues with just a single year remaining on his Chelsea contract.
Kepa will be unveiled as a player for the La Liga side at 1.30pm in a ceremony in Madrid.
This is a developing news story that will be updated with relevant information as we get it. More to follow…
