The most expensive back-up keeper ever? The eye-watering cost of Kepa's wasted time at Chelsea
Stefan Bienkowski
- 3 Feb 2022 16:32 CST
- 5 min read
Chelsea often tend to pride themselves on being one of the savviest clubs in the transfer market across the whole of European football.
Sure, the Stamford Bridge side used to simply outbid their rivals to win Premier League and Champions League titles, but now they like to make sure their record signings are offset by smart sales and loan deals done elsewhere in the club.
However, even the best deals and transfer fees for back-up stars or youngsters in need of game time couldn’t compensate for the almighty loss Chelsea have had to right off on goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
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Signed in August 2018 for a staggering £72 million, the former Athletic shot-stopper enjoyed two solid seasons at the London club before seeing his performances drop off a cliff. Now Kepa spends his time sitting on Thomas Tuchel’s bench, burning a considerable hole through the club’s finances each and every year.
How much has Kepa cost Chelsea?
Since joining the club in 2018, Kepa has earned between £7-8m per year from his basic salary with the club. And when we combine that with the transfer fee that Chelsea paid Athletic for his services, his total cost with the club comes in at a staggering £95.6m.
Over the course of the last three and a half years, Kepa has made 120 appearances for the club and played 10,755 minutes of football on the pitch.
When we break that down into how much Kepa has cost Chelsea per appearance and evn per minute of football, it works out at a truly staggering fee.
As of February 2022, Kepa has cost Chelsea no less than £796,733 per appearance or £800,067 per 90 minutes of football. Which, in no uncertain terms, is a remarkable amount of money for a back-up goalkeeper.
