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According to Marcus Bettinelli, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is often overlooked by pundits and fans alike as they fail to realize the Spaniard is yet to hit his peak. Bettinelli feels that at 27, Kepa is still young, considering goalkeepers reach their peak quite late in their career.
Bettinelli told The Athletic:
“He’s still so young, and people forget that. It’s hard for players sometimes when they are sold for a lot of money — they don’t put the price tags on their heads. I’m sure he would be the first to say he’s had tough times at Chelsea. But every keeper has a tough time. David de Gea has had a tough time at Manchester United and he has come through it.”
Kepa has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea and is currently second favorite to Edouard Mendy, even though the player has managed to regain some of his original promise in his games in 2021.
Kepa has done a good job whenever Mendy has been unavailable for selection. He has particularly been fantastic in penalty shootouts, having made two key saves to decide the UEFA Super Cup against Villareal in August. He continued in the same vein in the Carabao Cup in October, denying Theo Walcott from the spot to eventually give Chelsea the win in the Round of 16 against Southampton.
He will now have to step in as Chelsea’s main keeper while Edouard Mendy is away with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Kepa Arrizabalaga might leave Chelsea earlier than expected
Chelsea paid £71.6 million to sign Kepa back in 2018, a massive fee that has often been mocked by many. But the 27-year-old has been in good form this season and already has four clean sheets in seven appearances for Chelsea.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has previously spoken about how Kepa performs consistently in training. Now the Spaniard will finally get the opportunity to prove himself to the manager in Mendy's absence.
However, it is unlikely that Kepa will become Chelsea’s first-choice keeper given Mendy’s form. And so, even though his contract runs until 2025, he might look to leave Chelsea earlier than expected in search of first-team football.
