Chelsea shortlist Premier League goalkeeper to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga
Written by darling on February 4, 2020
Crystal Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita is top of the shortlist to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga at Chelsea.
The Blues stopper has come in for some criticism in recent times after a number of shaky performances.
Frank Lampard is reportedly not a fan of the Spaniard – who was dropped for the match against Leicester at the weekend.
Willy Caballero came in for the 25-year-old, but Lampard was not giving anything away when asked about his future.
“You make decisions every week and every day in this job. No decision is easy,” he said.
“When it comes to a goalkeeper you probably do give it a little bit more thought and a bit more time, especially if someone seems to be the designated number one.
“That can’t be the end of the story. We have to be competitive. Willy trains well, he acts well and he played well against Hull last week. I decided to stick with him.”
However, the Blues boss has seen enough of Kepa, according to the Mirror, and has eyed Palace’s Guaita to replace him.
As well as the 33-year-old, Nick Pope of Burnley has also been shortlisted by Lampard.
But the former Derby manager is set to collide with the Chelsea board, who do not want to give up on the world’s most expensive goalkeeper so easily.
Stamford Bridge supremo Marina Granovskaia was the one who authorised the £72m transfer from Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2018.
She is not so keen on the idea of booting out Kepa, who was an ever-present under Maurizio Sarri last season.
Trying to find a buyer for the Spain international would prove tricky, with the only other club that were interested in his services prior to his big-money move being Real Madrid.
The Bernabeu outfit ended up with Thibaut Courtois, who pushed through a move from Chelsea, prompting their swoop for the Ondarroa-born star.
The west London outfit would likely have to take a heavy loss on their investment, something Granovskaia has no interest in doing.
