Kepa Arrizabalaga’s Chelsea career was completely in the doldrums until Frank Lampard was sacked as head coach back in January and replaced by Thomas Tuchel. Nine months later, the Spanish keeper is still not the number one at the club who made him the world’s most expensive goalkeeper back in 2018 and presented him to the world just an hour after Thibaut Courtois had done the same after forcing his move through to Real Madrid. Mendy is the undisputed number one, of that there is no doubt, and Chelsea have a £71.6million back-up on their books warming the bench, but ready to come into the team when needed. Whenever Kepa has played or is in line to play, Tuchel has consistently spoken of his excellent and chirpy attitude despite his lack of meaningful minutes. He looks set to keep his place for the Carabao Cup clash with Aston Villa in midweek and Tuchel was asked about his number two keeper ahead of the game.
Thomas Tuchel said: “He seems happy to me. Maybe he might not be happy with his situation but he seems happy in the place where he is and what part he plays in this team. Everybody wants to have more minutes and we have contracts for 21 to 24 players, including goalkeepers. We simply cannot give everyone minutes, not the same amount. It is more dramatic for the goalkeeper because obviously you don’t change within games so it maybe seems even worse the situation or harder, but I don’t feel Kepa like this. He is an open guy, a humble guy, a super nice guy, a top, top professional sports guy and a big part of this squad and I feel him happy, maybe not fully with a lack of minutes but I don’t feel that he is concerned at the moment. He is pushing, fighting for his chances and you cannot force situations. Now I have the feeling, and the mindset, that he has been here for some time now and with the calmness that he trains with, his positivity, it got a big reward and it came to him. He did not force it.”
Should Mendy not make the game against Man City this Saturday, which is a possibility, it could be Kepa’s most important match for some time. Come through that then he is well and truly on the comeback trail. One worthy of Lazarus considering where he was to where he could be come 3pm on Saturday afternoon. The price tag Chelsea splashed out on Kepa – and the seven-year contract they gave him – will always be a stick to beat the goalkeeper with when it comes to discussing his Chelsea career. Tuchel inherited an expensively assembled squad when he replaced Lampard and took it to a Champions League crown, an FA Cup final and a fourth-place finish last season. But that is not something Tuchel particularly cares about, especially when it comes to Kepa.
Thomas Tuchel added: “It was not necessary for him to prove to me he is a good goalkeeper, I see this every day in training. Maybe that was the point where he did not try too hard to convince everybody that he is worth the money that the club paid for him. Who cares about the money? Ok, the money was paid, so what now? The question is now can we afford to have him as a goalkeeper? We have two super strong goalkeepers and we need both of them. If you need any proof, look at last weekend. He was a key factor in us keeping a clean sheet and it’s as easy as that. If the money is too high or not or whatever, these measurements do not exist for us. I feel the pressure is off his shoulders and it is well-deserved that it is off his shoulders because it is not his fault.”
Tuchel and his coaching team have worked very hard to rebuild Kepa, a keeper with shattered confidence after a string of high-profile mistakes. He almost made one at Spurs on Sunday after spilling a cross with Harry Kane lurking but he reacted quickly to gather the ball and the danger was gone. Chelsea will need Kepa this season, too. Not just if Mendy is injured or needs a rest but especially in January 2022 when the number one keeper will be away with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations.
