Former Chelsea player Shaun Wright-Philips has slammed the club for selling Kepa Arrizabalaga to Premier League rivals Arsenal.
The Spanish goalkeeper is coming off the back of a stellar season on the South Coast with Bournemouth, and the former Chelsea star believes that his former employers are making a mistake letting him go to a direct rival.
Arsenal believe Kepa can be a capable deputy to David Raya next season and have reportedly agreed a £5m deal with London rivals Chelsea.
Chelsea spent £72m on Kepa in 2018 – making him the most expensive goalkeeper in history – but the shot-stopper struggled to nail down a place in the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge before losing his place in the team.
Now, despite Kepa returning for an impressive season at Bournemouth, the Blues are choosing not to make him their number one and have prioritised the signing of a new goalkeeper instead.
But former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has questioned the decision to sell Kepa to Arsenal following his ‘unbelievable’ season on the south coast.
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Wright-Phillips even believes Kepa could have emerged as Chelsea’s No. 1 once more, saving the club potentially millions this summer.
What Wright-Philips had to say about Chelsea selling Kepa to Arsenal
“I’m confused. I don’t understand,” Wright-Phillips told Betway when asked about Kepa’s imminent move to the Emirates Stadium.
“It’s like nobody’s been watching Kepa this season. He’s been unbelievable. He is part of the reason why Bournemouth finished where they finished.”
“The defence was outstanding, but Kepa was unbelievable, as well, I thought.”
“I assumed while the season was going on that Chelsea didn’t need to buy a goalkeeper because Kepa was going back anyway, but that isn’t to be the case.”
“You can have as good a goalkeeper as you want, but if you’re still going to make the same mistakes in defence, your goalkeeper is still going to concede.”
“That’s just the fact of the matter. [Liverpool goalkeeper] Alisson pulls off amazing saves when he’s needed. Half the time he has to pull off a save, it’s not forced errors.”
“So if Chelsea can get their defence like that, where they’re not making him make unnecessary saves he shouldn’t have to make, then I think Kepa is your man to keep. You don’t need to forage around.”
“Most managers now are looking for goalkeepers that are good with their feet. I think Kepa’s alright with his feet, but he might not be at the level they want him to be.”
“But for me, it’s a real strange one.”
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