In the 2018/19 season, Chelsea spent €208.80m (£172.4m) He made three huge permanent signings with Maurizio Sarri, along with two loan deals for Mateo Kovacic and Gonzalo Higuain.
During this season, the Blues finished third in the league Premier League And he won European LeagueBeating Arsenal 4-1 in Baku. Jorginho was seen as the most important of these signings, having played a key role for Sarri at Napoli, and he was looking to translate that system to the Premier League, bringing the Italian midfielder with him.
But the most expensive deal made that summer sparked controversy from the beginning, from the moment he refused to be substituted, until the present, when it is clear that he does not deserve the wages he is receiving for the club.
Chelsea's costly transfer mistake
Chelsea have signed Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao on a contract basis A fee of approximately £71.6 millionHe arrived to replace Thibaut Courtois, Who joined Real Madrid for about 35 million pounds sterling In the same summer window.
He spoke at that time, Blues director Marina Granovskaia She expressed her happiness at the arrest of the 23-year-old, saying:
“Kepa is a talent we have admired for a long time and we are very excited about his arrival.
“He has already shown great quality and consistency and will be a big part of any success Chelsea achieve in the coming years…”
First impressions
What do pundits and fans alike think of their new star signing when they arrive? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.
Former Bilbao man He played 160 matches with the clubhas kept 59 clean sheets, conceded 175 goals, and played a total of 14,523 minutes, but has largely failed to impress over the past six years or so.
The Spanish goalkeeper has often been criticized for his form at Chelsea, with critic Ian Wright stating in 2023 that he simply “He makes a lot of mistakes“Indeed, the 2020/21 season, for example, saw him leading the way in the division among fellow goalkeepers, in terms of Mistakes that lead to goals (three).
30 years old He earns £150,000 a week at Chelseabut he is currently on loan with Bournemouth this season Cherry pays half his wages (75 thousand pounds sterling).
But when he returns to the club next season, Kepa will have one year remaining on his contract, until June 2026.
While Chelsea's goalkeeper position is by no means secure, the club will want to continue paying Kepa's high wages, keep their current selection of goalkeepers on reasonable wages, and perhaps look to land a new one when the time is right.
How does Kepa compare to current Chelsea goalkeepers?
Robert Sanchez has been signed from Brighton in 2023, joining the club on a one-year deal The fee is around £25 million. Since joining, aged 27 He participated in 36 matches in all competitionsHe conceded 48 goals, kept eight clean sheets, and total playing minutes amounted to 3,234 minutes.
Chelsea also made another signing in this department over the summer, acquiring Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal on a contract basis A fee of around £20.7m. The 22-year-old has He has played ten matches with the Blues so farHe conceded only nine goals, kept a clean sheet in four matches, and the total number of playing minutes reached 900 minutes.
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Comparison between Sanchez, Kepa and Jorgensen |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (per 90 minutes) |
Sanchez |
Kiba |
Jorgensen |
|
Goals against |
1.29 |
1.45 |
0.88 |
|
Shots on goal against |
4.52 |
4.64 |
4.38 |
|
Save |
3.23 |
3.18 |
3.50 |
|
Save % |
77.1% |
70.6% |
80.0% |
|
Clean sheets |
0.19 |
0.18 |
0.38 |
|
clean sheets % |
20.0% |
18.2% |
37.5% |
|
Passes attempted |
38.0 |
25.0 |
37.2 |
|
The crosses stopped |
1.33 |
0.73 |
0.83 |
|
Statistics taken from FBref |
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When comparing the performances of the three goalkeepers this season, Kepa has the worst save percentage despite conceding the most shots against him, has conceded the most goals per 90, and made the fewest passes (mainly due to Bournemouth's direct style of play). .
Chelsea's two current options have performed better, making more saves despite facing fewer shots, conceding fewer goals per 90, making more passes per 90 and stopping more crosses/controlling their area better.
Considering that both Sanchez and Jorgensen are performing better and being paid less £60,000 per week and £50,000 per weekRespectively – Chelsea should certainly look to move on to sign Granovskaia at the end of the season, whether that is to Bournemouth on a permanent deal or elsewhere.
