Kepa Arrizabalaga says the Chelsea project was not the right one as he adjusts to life at Real Madrid
Kepa Arrizabalaga has given a damning verdict on why he left Chelsea on loan to join Real Madrid in the summer. The former Athletic Bilbao goalie claimed the Blues’ project was not the right one before he returned to La Liga on loan.
The 28-year-old has replaced Thibaut Courtois, who sustained an injury during training and is set to be out for the entire season. Kepa was expected to remain at Chelsea, but the keeper had doubts over the club’s ambitions, which saw him push for the move.
The Blues later bought Robert Sanchez as a backup from Brighton & Hove Albion, who is now the Blues No. 1 goalkeeper, and signed Djordje Petrovic as Sanchez’s substitute. Kepa, even if he is to return next summer is far from assured of a spot in the squad.
Under Todd Boehly, Chelsea have spent £1 billion in transfer windows, and new manager Mauricio Pochettino has managed only one league win in four games since taking charge of the club. The Blues’ squad underwent a redesign during the summer transfer season as a result of the sale of numerous first-team players and academy graduates by Chelsea, which had to reduce the size of the squad.
Kepa, who joined Real Madrid on loan, has already made his decision to remain at the Spanish club, (h/t Evening Standard) as he told Spanish outlet COPE:
“My intention is to stay [with Real Madrid] for more than a year. It only took a couple of calls because when Real Madrid calls, it is different. I felt the Chelsea project was not the right one.”
It’s a valid excuse that Real Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and if the goalkeeper wants to remain there on a permanent basis, then Chelsea will have to make a decision on his future when his loan ends next summer. However, this statement coming from who is still our player and criticising Chelsea’s project for being the wrong one is not in the best taste.
After all, he too failed to pull his weight and cannot now unload his poor performances onto the club. Shifting the blame isn’t a good look for a player who seems intent on passing the buck. Whether he will still be a ‘part’ of the project remains to be seen.
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Certainly, our project will take time to build, but once it is done, we will have a great team ready to contend on all fronts. But it feels like maybe we still have players who are not happy at the club and could harm the club’s project, so it will be better if we sell them before it’s too late.