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Chelsea's second-choice shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga has made his pick for the best goalkeeper of the year. The Spaniard is currently in Marbella, spending time away from the game on vacation before he joins Thomas Tuchel's squad for the pre-season.
MARCA set up an interview with the 27-year old where he praised former Chelsea man Thibaut Courtois as the best goalkeeper this year. The Belgian's performances at various stages in the Champions League this year kept Real Madrid in the game as he pulled off some of the best saves of his career.
When asked if Courtois was the best keeper, Kepa acknowledged the same and gave him credit for helping Los Blancos in their La Liga and European triumph. He told MARCA:
"This year yes. This year I think he has been very decisive to win the Champions League and LaLiga."
The former Chelsea shot-stopper made a whopping nine saves to keep a clean sheet in the UCL final against Liverpool as his team won the game 1-0. It was widely regarded as the best performance by a goalkeeper in Europe's premier class tournament. When asked about Courtois' Man of the Match performance, Kepa replied:
"I don't know exactly. To win the Champions League and LaLiga there are times when the goalkeeper has to appear. It is true that he has had to appear many times but I would not be able to tell you if it is the best or not."
The 30-year old Belgian goalkeeper was always counted among some of the best in Europe, however he was criticised for his footwork on the odd occasions. The Chelsea goalkeeper also underlined the same, but admitted that he has seen major improvements in that area from Courtois. The Spaniard said:
"I was very surprised by his footwork. Maybe it's something that before at Chelsea or madrid, at the beginning, they didn't ask him so much, but now he has taken a step forward in the game with his feet. It's the biggest change I've ever seen."
Chelsea's Kepa wants to push for a spot in the Spanish side at the Qatar World Cup
Since the arrival of Edouard Mendy, Kepa has been a bench warmer under Thomas Tuchel. In the 2021-22 campaign, he only made 15 appearances with just four of them coming in the Premier League. The Spaniard has now grown frustrated over the lack of playing time and could be looking to leave the club on loan this summer.
The Daily Mail reported that Ligue 1 side OGC Nice are interested in bringing Chelsea's second-choice keeper to France. A few Spanish clubs are also monitoring him this summer. Luis Enrique has overlooked Kepa for a significant amount of time now with his last appearance for the Spanish national side coming in October 2020.
The 27-year old is rumored to be willing to give it a shot at making the La Roja squad for the Qatar World Cup later this year, which is only possible if he plays regularly.
