Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga has had a rough season. Which three big questions should be asked ahead of the 2020/21 season?
The world knows Kepa Arrizabalaga had a terrible season. That should not be new information. It was so bad, in fact, that Chelsea already seems poised to move on from their record signing with just about any promising warm body to put between the sticks. What that means for Arrizabalaga remains to be seen but there are several questions that linger over the coming season for the Spanish keeper.
1. Is there any way to rebound from this year?
Arrizabalaga had a terrible season. In far too many metrics, he was not the worst keeper of the top six. He was the worst keeper in the Premier League. Chelsea managed to finish fourth on the back of every other stat, but having a keeper turn up like that could have made for a much more disastrous season than it did.
The season is an outlier, but not so far out that the Blues should not be alarmed. This is clearly the keeper’s worst season as a professional, but his stats in other seasons are not so much better that the Blues can simply wave away 2019/2020.
Add on that Frank Lampard has clearly lost faith in him and it becomes a very sticky situation. Willy Caballero should not be starting over the club’s record signing. Yet he is and he has done better. That is a major issue.
If Arrizabalaga is somehow the starting keeper next season, there will need to be a massive rebound in form or Chelsea will be hoping the ten outfielders carry them along again.
2. If the Blues get a better defense, does Arrizabalaga deserve a chance behind them?
Thibaut Courtois knew the situation well as he began to struggle in his later years at Chelsea. The same was true for Petr Cech at Arsenal. If a team has better defenders, can a bad goal keeper look good? Or does a bad goal keeper make defenders look bad?
It is the chicken or the egg situation of conceding goals. A better defense may leave Arrizabalaga less exposed, but a better keeper may cover for the defensive mistakes better. The real question is who Chelsea blames.
The Blues are looking to reinforce their defense next season, so should the Spanish keeper get the chance behind a new defense to show if it is him or them?
The stats would say no but that is why stats are not the be all end all. There are plenty of times when Arrizabalaga is left high and dry by those in front of him. If any of those small chances is the result of a catastrophic defensive error, it cannot really be blamed on the keeper for failing to be super human.
The Blues are going to reinforce regardless next season, but knowing who to blame and who not is half the battle. There is at least a case for Arrizabalaga to make, though he probably will not get a chance to. Regardless, in the same way Chelsea is prioritizing attackers who can cut sides open, it may be worth considering prioritizing defense or the man between the sticks and seeing how it goes for a season.
3. Can Chelsea actually move him if they wanted to or are they stuck?
Chelsea has a few issues with Arrizabalaga’s situation. His contract is massive, not just in wages (given how he has performed) but also in length. There are few clubs needing a keeper this summer and the ones that are do not really want to be saddled with Arrizabalaga after this season. If Chelsea is left holding the bag, that plays a massive part in to how they may target a replacement.
If Chelsea wants an older, more world class keeper, they will need to offload Arrizabalaga. As already stated, that would be a very difficult move to pull off this summer on both fronts.
The alternative is a younger keeper with potential to “challenge” Arrizabalaga on paper but bench him in practice. That way the Blues can afford to keep Arrizabalaga around while also creating the opportunity for him to prove himself. The one major downside to this plan is the Blues already took a risk when they brought the Spanish keeper in. If the next keeper also fails to meet expectations, Chelsea is pretty much in the dog house.
That is probably why a move for Andre Onana has not gone through yet. The mere hesitation over taking another chance on a keeper with the fear that it might not work out (even though in Onana’s case, the eye and stats test says different) is paralyzing the club. They may be saying they want to move Arrizabalaga on first, but regardless someone has to come in and Caballero is still at the club if need be. The real question is how long the saga drags on for before something happens.
What are your big questions about Arrizabalaga next season? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!