‘A little ahead’: Mauricio Pochettino hints he’s going to start 28-year-old Chelsea player vs Liverpool

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Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga looks set to start against Liverpool on Sunday.

The Blues have signed Robert Sanchez from Brighton & Hove Albion, but Mauricio Pochettino has hinted that Kepa Arrizabalaga will get the nod when his side welcome Jurgen Klopp’s men to Stamford Bridge for their Premier League opener.

“It’s going to be very good competition,” Pochettino told football.london and other outlets in his pre-match press conference when discussing the battle to be Chelsea’s No.1. “We needed to sign another. The club followed him for a long period and was a good opportunity for the club to sign him, and a good challenge for Kepa also.

“Kepa is three, four weeks with us, is a little bit ahead of him. For the players not going to play they need to fight to catch their teammates playing in their place. That is competition and we will improve.

“Chelsea have two very good keepers and excellent keepers to fight for the position. They are clever enough, they are very mature. They know they are going to fight to be No.1. With time we will see if Robert is there and can challenge Kepa.”

Will Kepa Arrizabalaga still be at Chelsea after the transfer window?

There is no guarantee, as the Spaniard is currently attracting interest from other clubs.

Sky Germany claimed on Thursday that Bayern Munich had made Kepa their No.1 goalkeeper target for the summer.

With Manuel Neuer still recovering from a broken leg and Yann Sommer leaving the club, the position between the sticks is obviously an area they need to strengthen.

Kepa is also someone Thomas Tuchel knows well from his time as Chelsea manager, so the German giants moving for the 28-year-old does make sense.

As well as Bayern, Real Madrid are also thought to be interested in Kepa. According to the Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella, the La Liga side are weighing up a loan move for the Spain international.

It comes after Thibaut Courtois was ruled out of action until 2024 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

A move away from Chelsea could be good for Kepa, who could lose his starting spot eventually after the arrival of his compatriot Sanchez.

If he does want to stay, though, then he cannot afford to make any silly mistakes in the Liverpool game, otherwise he could quickly find himself being ousted by Sanchez.