Chelsea: £150k-a-week flop could now revive career at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has the chance to become number one under Graham Potter, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The £150,000 per-week ace started his opening game in charge against RB Salzburg, but the Spain international hasn’t been picked from the off in the Premier League for almost eight months.

Since being dropped from the side at the beginning of the 2020-2021 campaign, Kepa has been forced to watch from the bench as Edouard Mendy has gone from strength to strength between the sticks.

But Mendy, who’s currently out injured following the late incident against West Ham, has made a poor start to the season, already making a couple of costly mistakes.

As a result of that and the arrival of Potter, Kepa will be hoping his opportunities increase, especially after doing little wrong in the Champions League game with the Austrian outfit last week.

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While many would recognise Mendy as more reliable when it comes to goalkeeping attributes, Phillips reckons that Kepa’s ability with the ball at his feet brings him back into the conversation.

What did Phillips say about Kepa?

When asked whether Kepa could become first choice under Potter, Phillips told GIVEMESPORT: “He’s definitely got a chance, purely because historically, he’s supposed to be a lot better on the ball than Mendy and he is, but neither of them are claiming that spot, neither of them are really playing that well at the moment.”

Who is Chelsea’s number one?

Mendy has started almost every Premier League game since his arrival two seasons ago, but the 30-year-old might be facing an anxious couple of weeks over the international break.

That’s because as Phillips mentioned, if Potter is looking for a goalkeeper who’s comfortable in possession, the Senegal international’s place in the side could come under serious threat.

Ultimately, many see Mendy as the better player when it comes to keeping the ball out of the net, but a Joe Hart scenario back in 2016 could happen, with the England star, who’d been number one for many years, suddenly dropped and replaced by Claudio Bravo when Pep Guardiola arrived at City.

But Kepa hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory when he has been given chances in recent years, so he’ll have to prove far more than capable with just his feet to catch Potter’s eye.