The last few weeks have been full of uncertainty, but one thing is for sure: football is not going to be the same again. Europe’s top five leagues are likely to be even more uneven playing fields than they are currently and the gap between the so-called “elite clubs” and those that are languishing in mid-table and in the lower half of the standings will only widen.
One man whose position is potentially under-threat at Stamford Bridge is Chelsea first-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The rumour mill has been linking Kepa Arrizabalaga with a move away from Chelsea for some time now; reports that have intensified further after the Spaniard was once again dropped to the bench in favour of 38-year-old Willy Caballero ahead of the Blues’ Premier League fixture with Man United.
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has been named as one of the ten contenders for the first Ballon d’Or for goalkeepers, the Yashin Trophy.
The Yashin Trophy was unveiled as part of the main Ballon d’Or award this year. It was announced last month by the organiser of this awarding body that the keeper’s Ballon d’Or will be given for the very first time this year.
The award is named after the Soviet international goalie Lev Yashin. He was the only goalkeeper to have won the main Ballon d’Or back in 1963.
The Spanish keeper got the 2019 Europa League at the end of the season as a Blues player. He is joined by three other goalies from the Premier League, Alisson Becker from Liverpool, Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris and Ederson Moraes from Manchester City.
Completing the list are Samir Handonovic from Inter Milan, Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, Ajax pride, Andre Onana, Juventus Wojciech Szczesny, and Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Former Chelsea player, Eden Hazard is also listed for the main Ballon d’Or award. He joined by 29 other players across the globe. If he get to win this award, he will be named as a Chelsea player as he had played during the first half of the year before leaving Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid.
Winners for the Ballon d’Or and the Yashin Trophy will be on December 2 in Paris.
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has said that he gets along well with fellow Spanish international keeper David De Gea. De Gea is regarded as one of the best keepers in the World and has been one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League for the best part of the last decade. Many would have thought that the Spanish number one jersey would be his for at least a decade after Iker Casillas’s career started to go downhill following a horror showing at the 2014 World Cup, during which Spain were eliminated in the group stages as defending champions.
Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green believes that Kepa Arrizabalaga has been good for the club during his first season. The Spaniard arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer and had big boots to fill as he had to serve as the replacement for Thibaut Courtois, who joined Real Madrid last summer.
Chelsea’s third-choice goalkeeper Rob Green has opened up on his role with the club this season. It came as a surprise to many fans of the club when the 39-year-old joined last summer.
Chelsea have been slapped with a two-window transfer window ban by FIFA after they were found guilty of contravening FIFA policy in their signing of youth players. The news means that the Blues will have to think carefully about how they operate this summer. They may have to keep certain players in the squad who they may have been planning to let go of this summer. One such player is substitute goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has said that his controversial clash with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga during the League Cup final brought the squad closer together.
Maurizio Sarri thinks the Kepa Arrizabalaga substitution incident during the League Cup final has proved as a massive boon for Chelsea.
Chelsea legend and current coach Joe Cole believes that manager Maurizio Sarri should stick with Willy Caballero in goal. In what will go down as one of the most controversial moments in Chelsea’s history, first-choice keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted when Sarri intended to replace him with Caballero during the League Cup final against Manchester City last weekend. The keeper ultimately ended up staying on the pitch.
Joe Cole has praised Maurizio Sarri for dropping Kepa Arrizabalaga and going with Willy Caballero during Chelsea’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur while adding he should stick with the Argentine ahead of the Spaniard.
Pedro Rodriguez has stated Kepa’s substitution row with Maurizio Sarri did not have any effect on the Chelsea dressing room, insisting the squad are “together”.
Danny Murphy believes Chelsea should sack their goalkeeping coach if Kepa Arrizabalaga had cramp in Sunday’s League Cup final.
Michael Ballack believes Kepa Arrizabalaga’s teammates should have done more to usher him off the pitch after the Chelsea goalkeeper’s refusal to do so during Sunday’s League Cup final.
Jose Mourinho has had his say regarding Kepa Arrizabalaga’s refusal to be subbed off during Chelsea’s the League Cup final against Manchester City, saying it left the Blues, especially Maurizio Sarri, in a “very fragile” situation.
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has blasted Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga after the shot-stopper refused to be substituted during the League Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday.
Chelsea number-two goalkeeper Willy Caballero has praised first-choice keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for the way in which he has managed to adapt to life in the Premier League. The 24-year-old Kepa arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer as a highly-rated product from Spanish club for a world-record £72 million fee which made him the most expensive goalkeeper in history.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has dismissed the weight of expectation accompanying his world record transfer fee for a goalkeeper while also playing down the perceived pressure in replacing Thibaut Courtois.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has revealed being the world’s most expensive goalkeeper does not put any extra pressure on him while also saying his move to London from Bilbao was an important gamble to make.
Former Chelsea and current Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is convinced that new Blues signing Kepa Arrizabalaga has all of the qualities required to succeed in the Premier League.
It looks more and more likely that Thibaut Courtois will be a Real Madrid player when the transfer window in Spain ends at the start of September. This comes on the back of strong rumours since picking up the Golden Glove at the World Cup as well as his absence from training over the last couple of days.