Kepa made his mind up over Chelsea transfer after private talks with Pochettino

06 September 2023 , 17:28

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Kepa made his mind up over Chelsea transfer after private talks with Pochettino

Kepa Arrizabalaga decided to press ahead with a transfer to Real Madrid, despite the fact that Mauricio Pochettino had privately stressed that he wanted the Spaniard to remain as Chelsea's No.1 goalkeeper.

Kepa, 28, has been at Stamford Bridge since 2018 but emerged as a surprise summer target for Real after Thibaut Courtois - a former Blues favourite - sustained a serious knee injury. The former Athletic Bilbao star also attracted interest from Bayern Munich, who are coached by Thomas Tuchel.

Although Kepa has endured a number of difficult spells since moving to London, he did manage to re-establish himself as the club's first-choice goalkeeper last season and was set to remain as No.1 under Pochettino. However, he has revealed that his heart was already set on a new challenge.

In an interview with Spanish outlet Marca, Kepa spoke of his move to Los Blancos and revealed that Pochettino sought him out for private talks before he decided to press ahead with the switch.

He said: "It was very fast. It is true that at Chelsea, Pochettino wanted me to stay and he told me that I was going to play, that he trusted me, but I thought that a change would be good for me. I wanted a change.

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"Thomas Tuchel also called me and I was close to going to Bayern Munich. Due to circumstances such as the injury, unfortunately, of a teammate, the possibility arose."

Join the debate! Do you think Arrizabalaga has a future at Chelsea? Let us know here.

Kepa Arrizabalaga completed a loan move to Real Madrid in the summer (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

Although he will spend the 2023/24 campaign at the Bernabeu, he still has a contract at Stamford Bridge which runs until the summer of 2025, meaning there is scope for him to return to the fold next season.

Chelsea have spent over £1billion since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the club last May and signed two goalkeepers during the summer transfer window: Former Brighton shot-stopper Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic from Major League Soccer side New England Revolution.

Sanchez has started the season as the Blues' first-choice in the wake of Kepa's exit. The Spaniard has kept one clean sheet in four Premier League appearances and is expected to compete with Petrovic for the No.1 berth.

Petrovic, a Serbia international, was one of the most highly-regarded goalkeepers in the MLS and joined the Blues in a £14m deal.

Dan Marsh