Mauricio Pochettino has shared that he’s delighted with Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga right now.
Pochettino, who’s nearly a month into his role as the Blues head coach, will now be starting to get to grips with the personnel in his squad.
At this moment in time, Kepa Arrizabalaga is the senior goalkeeper in Chelsea’s ranks and the strong favourite to begin the season in-between the sticks.
The 28-year-old’s definitely come in for some huge criticism in the past during his time at Stamford Bridge, but he continues to outlast those around him to stay in contntion.
Speaking after Chelsea’s 1-1 pre-season draw with Newcastle United on Thursday, Pochettino offered a glowing verdict on Blues star Kepa.
In particular, he’s suggested his staff have loved working with an individual that’s getting to grips with new ideas fairly quickly.
“We are so happy with him. He is showing great commitment and adapting to the new demands from Tony and the coaching staff. He is a fantastic keeper,” Pochettino said, as quoted by journalist Ben Jacobs on Twitter.
Sky Sports claimed last month that Pochettino made the decision to stick with Kepa as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper for the upcoming season. Hopefully, that is not something that comes back to bite him!
The Spanish shot-stopper had a decent year last season while others around him struggled, but we doubt many would rank him anywhere near the world’s elite gloveman.
If Chelsea want to get back to winning trophies and competing with the best, can Kepa be the permanent starting goalkeeper?
We’ve seen Kepa wear the armband on occasions and it looks like he’ll be one of the few individuals nailed on to start ever single game. We still wouldn’t make him the new permanent captain, though.