Chelsea have signed Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao for £71m – the highest fee ever paid for a goalkeeper, and a club record transfer. Just who is Kepa and why did Chelsea pay such a huge amount for a 21 year old untested Premier League rookie? The 23-year-old has played his entire career for Athletic Club in Bilbao, but now sees himself thrust into the spotlight as the most expensive goalkeeper in this history of football, his fee surpassing the £67m Liverpool paid for Alisson Becker last month.
Known simply as Kepa, the ‘keeper began playing football at the age of six in the small town of Ondarroa in the Basque Country. By nine, he had impressed enough to sign for Athletic. Back then, he had another passion: birds. With his father, he trained goldfinches to sing and twice won regional prizes, in 2008 and 2010.
A European champion with Spain’s Under-19 side in 2012, he made his full international debut last year and was even nicknamed ‘el jilguero’ (the goldfinch) by some in the Athletic dressing room – also for his ability to make flying saves. He was part of Spain’s squad at the World Cup in Russia.
Real Madrid links
Kepa was all set to sign for Real Madrid in January for £18m and even underwent a medical with the European champions in the winter window, only for the move to be vetoed by Zinedine Zidane. “Kepa is talented,” the Frenchman said later. “But I didn’t want a goalkeeper in the middle of the season.”
Marca later described the decision as “an error that will haunt Zidane”, but the French coach said he did not want to upset dressing-room harmony and Kepa signed a new contract with Athletic instead.
Why does he cost so much money now?
Chelsea can blame Real Madrid for that. Kepa’s contract renewal with Athletic saw him handed a new release clause, pushing his price up from £18m to £71m. And there is no negotiation with the Basque club in this situation, either.
While other teams in Spain would perhaps be willing to haggle, Athletic’s strict policy of fielding only players from the Basque Country and nearby regions means it is almost impossible to bring in replacements and they therefore command big fees for their stars. All of the money will go back into their youth development.
He has been compared to Spain legend Iker Casillas, but is somewhat taller than the former Real Madrid goalkeeper. The 23-year-old stands at 6 feet 2 (four inches shorter than Courtois) and is known for his impressive reflexes. He has an experience that belies his years, having played for Spain since under-17 level and gone out on loan to Ponferradina and Valladolid in Spain’s Second Division before establishing himself as first choice for Athletic.
He was taken away on tour by Marcelo Bielsa at the Basque club and became number 1 under current Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde. He is very much a modern-day shot-stopper and is excellent with his feet. He has been described as “the goalkeeper of the future” and when David De Gea was struggling at the World Cup in Russia, many called for Kepa to be handed a starting spot instead.
Is he a good fit for Chelsea?
Even though it is true that Kepa would have cost just £18m just a few months ago, the market is what it is and if you cannot identify a player early, then you have to pay big bucks, as Liverpool did with Allison.
Many have asked why Chelsea did not just go a little further and stump up the £89m for Atletico’s brilliant goalkeeper Jan Oblak, but the Slovenian is only competent with his feet by comparison and is used to playing in a defensive system under Diego Simeone.
Kepa, by contrast, is a great shot-stopper and is also comfortable with the ball at his feet, making him ideal for Maurizio Sarri’s more expansive style. He should be a great fit for Chelsea under the former Napoli boss and at 23, he has many years ahead of him too. If he ends up staying for a decade, his fee will be just an anecdote.