Chelsea should keep goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga around for another season at Stamford Bridge, but that doesn’t mean he needs to start.
While many people look at Chelsea’s keeper conundrum as a negative thing, some of us here at The Pride of London choose to view it as an opportunity. It’s no secret Kepa Arrizabalaga was abysmal this season. The one thing nobody seems to know the answer to though is whether the majority of the blame falls on shoulders of the Spanish keeper or the defense in front of him—a chicken and egg debate, if you will.
Arrizabalaga’s two seasons in blue could not be more yin and yang. In his first year, he challenged Arsenal’s Bernd Leno for the title of best Premier League goalkeeping newcomer. The 25-year-old’s debut season climaxed in the Europa League semifinals where he stopped a shot with his knees in a penalty shootout which sent the Blues to the final; one in which they’d go on to win with the youngster in goal. These inconsistencies—along with some other outside factors—are reason enough to give Arrizabalaga another season.
Let’s preface the ensuing argument by saying this: Arrizabalaga should, under no circumstance, begin next season as Chelsea’s No. 1. The Blues need to bring in another keeper for a multitude of other reasons. First and foremost, Arrizabalaga needs competition. While pulling the Spaniard for a 38-year-old Willy Caballero sends a message, it hardly makes him fear for his job. Arrizabalaga is under contract for five more years and if Caballero’s career in the English Premier League (take note of the specification) lasts longer than that, I’ll quit my job.
Secondly, there is room to bring in another keeper. Chelsea’s got some talented youngsters coming through its academy. These youth keepers are simply too talented to endure what Jamie Cumming did this season. Cumming, just 20, spent the entire year on the Blues’ bench as a third-string keeper. Now that he’s been loaned out, the spot is up for grabs and Frank Lampard would be silly to stick another inexperienced, up and coming talent there again.
Lastly, Chelsea needs a backup plan. The Blues have come too far over the last year—both on the pitch and in the transfer market—to have all of that hard work thwarted by a sub-par shot stopper. Lampard, his staff, Petr Cech, Marina Granovskaia, Roman Abramovich and countless others have worked around the clock to give the Blues a shot at competing against Europe’s top clubs next season. Chelsea needs to have someone capable and ready to take over in a moment’s notice should hit the fan.
All of the aforementioned are reasons as to why Chelsea should bring in another goalkeeper, but that doesn’t mean Arrizabalaga should depart. Arrizabalaga should only be able to leave if someone either pays the Blues’ high asking price or the club splurges on a top level keeper like Jan Oblak. Otherwise, the young keeper should remain at Stamford Bridge.
A plethora of talented youth have come and gone at Chelsea. We all know the names; Romelu Lukaku, Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne are just some of those the Blues have let slip away. Arrizabalaga is not on the level of those superstars, by no means am I suggesting that, but there’s been that “what if?” in the back of many people’s minds this season. He showed a lot of promise in his first year, this could’ve been a one off—who knows? Multiple people, at some point in time, believed in his talent enough to spend a record amount on him. Point being, the Blues do not want another rising star to fall through the cracks because of one bad season. You, the reader, are not the one paying his wages, so it shouldn’t matter whether he’s on the roster next season or not—as long as he isn’t starting.
Chelsea has been linked to numerous keepers in recent months, with Oblak and potentially Andre Onana representing the only world class names in the press. Otherwise, names like Nick Pope, Ben Foster and most recently, Edouard Mendy, are the likes of shot stoppers who can challenge Arrizabalaga while not breaking the bank.
As if Arrizabalaga’s time at Stamford Bridge being extended by a year should need any more justification: the market isn’t right at the moment. The current financial climate around the world has driven the price of transfers down significantly. If Chelsea wants to make even a fraction of the world record fee it paid for the Spaniard back, the Blues will have to wait another year. In 11 months’ time, Arrizabalaga will still have four years remaining on his deal and plenty of market value. No harm, no foul.
The only way in which Chelsea fans will finally get to answer the question that’s been plaguing them all season long is if Arrizabalaga stays. The chicken or the egg, Arrizabalaga or the defense; the philosophical anomaly that is the first question will never be answered, but the latter can be resolved over time.