Chelsea’s cautious approach to goalkeeping should be praised

Chelsea is taking a level-headed look at its goalkeeping situation, which should be praised, because of the uncertainty surrounding the position.

Chelsea’s approach to solving its goalkeeping crisis is not one of reckless abandon, but a smart and considered approach aimed at bringing out the best in Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Much has been made of the transfer window that is going on at Stamford Bridge right now, and for good reason. The Blues have brought in players in Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell and Tiago Silva who can and will likely slot into the starting XI. All of this with Kai Havertz still expected to join before the start of the season.

Since the transfer window that brought Eden Hazard to the club, this summer of 2020 will rank amongst the all-time great spending sprees the Blues have been on since Roman Abramovich took control of the club. The club has addressed major concerns that the team had—notably the lack of a clinical striker and a defensive line that needed upgrades at left back and through the middle.

Yet, as always seems to be the case, there remains a stumbling—and indeed a grumbling—block within the Chelsea faithful. That is, of course, the fact that Arrizabalaga is still at the club and still the presumptive No. 1 between the sticks.

The Spaniard’s up and down journey at Chelsea looked to be coming to an end towards the later parts of the interrupted 2019/20 season. However, with no replacement having been brought in, it appears as though Frank Lampard will turn to Arrizabalaga come September 14 for Chelsea’s opening game of the Premier League season.

The first point that needs to be made is that Willy Caballero is not a starting goalkeeper in the Premier League. Caballero is more than capable of deputizing if Arrizabalaga is injured, or when Cup games come around, but that is where it should stop. The Argentine is 38, his best years are behind him and Chelsea cannot finish in the top four with Caballero in goal. The answer would then appear to be to look outwards at the goalies the club has in the loan system. However, they are not at a stage where they represent viable options as the Blues’ No. 1.

The newspapers and sports gossip columns have devoted tons of space to who is going to be the next starter at Chelsea, the likes of Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, Ajax’s Andre Onana and AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma in the mix.

Before jumping to conclusions, remember this is the real world, not FIFA Career Mode where a whole squad can be sold off and replaced in one transfer window. Do not forget that Chelsea has already spent lavishly this summer. On that basis alone, bringing in Oblak—the most talented of the aforementioned keepers—on his north of £100 million price tag sounds unlikely.

Consider this, if Kepa Arrizabalaga was the seen as the most important issue to solve at Stamford Bridge, would Lampard have pursued so many other players and spent the money he had without addressing the goalkeeping concern? It is evident that, despite what the fans have grumbled about and the transfer gossip columns have written, there is still trust and faith that Arrizabalaga can come good.

Just recently, reports came out that Chelsea is set to increase its offer for Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Mendy is a name that few, if any, would have linked to the Blues. Yet, it shows a level-headed approach from the Chelsea brass.

Onana and Donnarumma might well be the Chelsea starting goalkeeper in a year’s time, but Arrizabalaga has shown glimpses of his ability and the prevailing notion coming out of Stamford Bridge is that at least for this season, the Spaniard just needs some legitimate competition that will push him. If Chelsea went out and spent another £50 million or so on a goalkeeper, that would be very good for the club on the pitch, but the financial loss Chelsea would take as a result of Arrizabalaga sitting on the bench would be catastrophic.

However, Mendy is not in the same definitive No.1 category as Donnarumma and Onana. If Mendy were to arrive from Rennes, Lampard would have a real selection decision to make between Mendy and Arrizabalaga. This is significantly different from the “decision” he had between Caballero and Arrizabalaga last season.

Furthermore, Mendy can either push Arrizabalaga on to better things or he can be a stopgap until next summer when the Blues then have a definitive answer as to whether there is any reason to keep Arrizabalaga around. Not rushing this decision will also allow Donnarumma and Onana another full season to develop and hone their skills, making them an even more attractive purchase next summer. Not to mention, one the Blues could actually afford considering there have been no significant sales from players leaving the club.

The Blues are being smart about their approach, both financially and from a footballing sense, and you cannot fault them for that.