Everton boss Frank Lampard tipped to raid Chelsea for Kepa Arrizabalaga
Everton manager Frank Lampard has been advised to identify Chelsea star Kepa Arrizabalaga as a priority target in the upcoming summer transfer window. The goalkeeper has turned around his fortunes at Stamford Bridge and has been solid for quite a while under Thomas Tuchel.
Arrizabalaga has constantly been on the rise since Tuchel took over from Lampard last season. That has been the case this campaign as well, with him playing a crucial role in several matches. Most notably, he enjoyed more game time recently as Edouard Mendy was out on international duty for the African Cup of Nations. The second choice keeper did well during that period and proved his credentials as a top-level shot-stopper.
Writing in his latest blog post (h/t Liverpool Echo), Richard Keys, a sports presenter who has worked for BBC, ITV etcetera, has suggested that Lampard should target the 27-year-old after the current campaign. He added that the keeper is too good to be down the pecking order with the Blues, and the club legend should sign him as a result.
“If I’m Lampard my priority is a goalkeeper. It’s too late this season – but what chance Lampard goes back to Chelsea for Kepa? I would. I know Lampard didn’t fancy him at The Bridge, but he’s better than Pickford, Henderson or any other option you can think of that’s available right now. He’s also too good to be No.2 at Chelsea.”
Summer departure?
The Spaniard was at the lowest point of his career at the West London side under the reins of the new Toffees boss. As such, it is really difficult to understand why he would try to reunite with the former midfielder even if he can get more minutes. The Blues legend was the one who had signed Mendy to replace Kepa following the latter’s forgettable displays.
Even if minutes can be one of the factors used to convince the Premier League star of a move, the “complicated” time with the former Chelsea coach could prevent him from entertaining an offer from the Merseyside club. That being said, the keeper undoubtedly deserves to be a starter elsewhere, considering how well he has performed for us.
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The former Athletic Bilbao man has made 13 appearances this season while earning seven clean sheets across all competitions. Since the 2022 Qatar World Cup is set to take place late this year, we may see him being open to receiving proposals. After all, he needs to play more to ensure a spot in the national team under Luis Enrique.
Whether that could be an incentive to move to Goodison Park or not remains to be seen in the coming months. But, the former England international must keep them in the Premier League to even have a shot at facilitating a move. Hence, let’s wait and see how the relegation battle develops ahead of next summer.