Revealed: Why Kepa didn't leave Chelsea for Napoli this summer
Karan Tejwani
- 17 Oct 2022 09:40 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was close to leaving Stamford Bridge for Serie A high-flyers Napoli in the summer transfer window.
Arrizabalaga has been in fine form for Chelsea as of late, displacing Edouard Mendy as the club’s number one choice in net and has taken advantage of the chances given to him.
This is a big change from his situation a few years ago where he was on the verge of an exit after a series of inconsistent performances for the club.
His options looked bleak and the Spaniard was open to a move in the summer, with the Napoli option strongly considered in the transfer window.
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Chelsea only wanted permanent Kepa exit
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea were open to letting Kepa go as well, but cancelled the move as they wanted a permanent exit, not one on loan.
“Kepa was actually close to leaving in the summer as Napoli were in advanced talks with Chelsea over a deal,” Romano said.
“In the end, Todd Boehly didn’t accept a loan proposal with buy option as he only wanted to proceed on permanent deal,” he added later on.
“Kepa is now doing great under Graham Potter but I’m sure Edouard Mendy will also be ready to compete soon, so there’s no news on the goalkeepers situation at Chelsea right now.”
The 7 saves Kepa made today was the most by a Chelsea goalkeeper in a Premier League game since 2017/18! pic.twitter.com/Lni6sragRJ
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) October 16, 2022
Arrizabalaga had a starring role in Chelsea’s most recent win over Aston Villa, making a series of important saves to ensure Chelsea’s 2-0 win and continue their resurgence after a tough start to the season.
It seems as though new manager Graham Potter prefers Arrizabalaga over Mendy and will continue to stick with him for the foreseeable future, increasing the goalkeeper’s chances of making Spain’s World Cup squad.
Arrizabalaga joined Chelsea for a world-record fee for a goalkeeper, but after an unconvincing start, he was replaced by Mendy, who played a big role in their Champions League win in 2021.
