Chelsea broke their transfer record for a goalkeeper when they signed Kepa Arrizabalaga in 2018. However, the Spaniard is now on loan at Bournemouth after failing to fulfil his potential at Stamford Bridge.
When he first joined Chelsea, Kepa was expected to contribute greatly to the success of The Blues in the coming years. The amount of 71.6 million pounds spent on a goalkeeper in 2018 was not small. This figure even broke Liverpool's record with Alisson Becker.
The seven-year contract Kepa was given was also a rarity at the time, but it underlined the faith Chelsea had in the 29-year-old goalkeeper. Kepa himself was so confident in his ability that he refused Maurizio Sarri's request to substitute him in February 2019.
An apology and a punishment followed, with Kepa temporarily ruled out of Chelsea's next matches. However, his status as the number one goalkeeper was quickly re-established by Sarri after a couple of saves in the Europa League semi-final.
But then Kepa’s form dipped. With Sarri gone, Kepa’s second season at Stamford Bridge was a statistically disastrous campaign. He conceded 11 more goals than he should have, which was a worrying figure.
Kepa was vulnerable to shots from outside the box, with a save percentage of just 53.47%, the worst of any regular Premier League goalkeeper that season.
Kepa then spent two seasons largely on the sidelines and watched as Mendy helped Chelsea win Champions League glory under Thomas Tuchel.
When Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly took over, they were not happy with Kepa despite some good performances from the 29-year-old. So the Blues signed Robert Sanchez and loaned Kepa to Real Madrid.
Los Blancos recruited Kepa to replace the injured Thibaut Courtois. However, the player born in 1994 failed to impress and lost his starting position to Andriy Lunin.
Another disappointing season ended with Kepa left out of Spain's EURO 2024 squad.
With no clear path back to Chelsea, Kepa is looking for a reboot this summer. And Bournemouth are his choice. A renegotiated contract with Chelsea has seen Kepa accept a huge pay cut.
The Vitality Stadium might be an unlikely destination, but Bournemouth are a club whose manager is familiar with Kepa.
The goalkeeper came through the ranks at Athletic Bilbao, while Andoni Iraola was captain of the Basque side. Although they didn't play together, the pair trained together and that relationship led to their current loan deal.
There were moments when Kepa was good in a thrilling debut win over Everton. That will be encouraging for Bournemouth fans watching and wondering what they’ve got from the goalkeeper. And Bournemouth fans aren’t the only ones asking that question.
Kepa will be out of contract when Bournemouth host Chelsea at home in the Premier League on Matchday 4. But the story of Kepa's future will be the focus of this season.
