Graham Potter has remained to believe in Kepa Arrizabalaga even though Edouard Mendy has been able to participate in Chelsea’s last three games.
After Graham Potter was appointed Chelsea’s head coach, a lot of first-team players were offered “second chances” at Stamford Bridge.
Trevoh Chalobah is a good example. Wesley Fofana, 23, has now started back-to-back games for Chelsea for the first time since the conclusion of the previous season after suffering an unfortunate injury last week. Prior to that, the defender had been somewhat underutilized under the previous manager Thomas Tuchel.
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Another guy who has been granted a second chance with the Blues is Kepa Arrizabalaga. Surprisingly, Chelsea paid £71 million to sign the Spanish goalkeeper in 2018. There were a lot of expectations placed on the team, which is natural given that Chelsea paid a goalkeeper transfer record-breaking £71 million for the player.
Under Maurizio Sarri and later Frank Lampard, Chelsea gave Kepa two seasons to establish himself as their primary goalkeeper. In the summer of 2020, the latter eventually got Edouard Mendy from Rennes, largely because of Petr Cech.
Kepa lost his job at Stamford Bridge as a result of a few high-profile mistakes, thus Mendy was brought in to take his place. When she arrived in west London, Mendy gave the impression of being a shrewd businesswoman. When he had the ball, he displayed composure and was a superb shot-blocker.
The goalkeeper excelled in his debut season in England in 2021 and assisted Chelsea in capturing their second UEFA Champions League championship under Tuchel. Despite the fact that Kepa’s second season was just as brilliant, there were no signs that he would receive another chance any time soon.
Kepa is virtually certainly going to depart Chelsea in the summer of 2022, either on a temporary deal or on a long-term basis. The Spaniard was a target for Napoli, but talks with the Blues failed to produce a deal.
As a result, Kepa stayed on the team even though there was no sign that the former Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper would return under Tuchel. However, Mendy’s poor performance at the beginning of the season and the knee injury he suffered against West Ham United last month made it conceivable for a remarkable recovery.
He was selected for Potter’s first game in charge against Red Bull Salzburg last month because to Mendy’s injury. Mendy was still out for the encounter against Crystal Palace after the two-week international break, but many thought that if he was once again ready for selection, he would immediately return to the starting lineup.
On the other hand, Kepa kept his starting position when AC Milan came to Stamford Bridge last Wednesday. When questioned, the Spaniard acted properly, and Potter even mentioned how Kepa gives Chelsea an edge when attacking from the back.