£147k-a-week Chelsea player claims Pochettino wanted him to stay, but he was loaned out anyway

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Kepa Arrizabalaga has shared that Mauricio Pochettino told him he wanted him to stay at Chelsea this season.

There’s been a complete reshuffle in the goalkeeper department at Stamford Bridge this summer, which includes Kepa Arrizabalaga joining Real Madrid on a season-long loan.

Kepa, 28, has been on Chelsea’s books since 2018 and been through some turbulent times on the pitch.

The Spanish goalkeeper finished last season as the Blues number one in-between the sticks, but he’s now enjoying a one-year loan in La Liga with Real Madrid.

As a result, new signing Robert Sanchez has stepped into the role as Chelsea’s first-choice keeper under Mauricio Pochettino.

Kepa, who earns £147,000-a-week (Salary Sport), has now made an interesting claim about his situation.

Apparently, he was assured by Pochettino that he was part of his plans to play this year.

Despite the promises from Chelsea’s head coach, Kepa did decide to exit on loan and wanted a fresh start.

“It’s true that at Chelsea Pochettino wanted me to stay and 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,” Kepa told Marca.

We agree that Kepa’s departure was the right move for all parties. Unfortunately, he’s carrying too much baggage from some inconsistent performances in Chelsea colours.

It feels like the jury is still very much out on Sanchez as his full-time replacement, though. It’ll be interesting to see if Blues shot-stopper Djordje Petrovic gets an opportunity to play post-international break.