The best goalkeepers make the most difficult position on the pitch seem less so.
Routine decision-making and the solutions to the problems they face are made without much fanfare and while the spectacular is always applauded, it is also expected.
We are just two years shy of the anniversary of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s arrival at Chelsea and it isn’t difficult to assess whether the expectations surrounding him at the time have been met. Quite clearly they have not.
Just like Wilfried Zaha’s 30-yard strike in Chelsea’s visit to Selhurst Park earlier this month, the bar set by Kepa’s predecessors Petr Cech and Thibaut Courtois has been at a height beyond his reach.
Whoever took the decision that Kepa’s potential was worth such an extravagant outlay should be questioning themselves.
Meeting a £70m-plus buyout clause for a player whose real value was only a third of that provided a stick with which to beat him with when his performance level dropped, giving the young goalkeeper little time to settle.
Ederson and Alisson – at Chelsea’s rivals Manchester City and Liverpool – have made their huge fees seem extremely good value, not only adding to their teams’ overall standing but being influential beyond their monetary value.
That’s where Kepa’s downfall was always going to come. Ask yourself how he makes Chelsea stronger and you are left pondering.
Kepa’s problems
There’s an old adage that “a good big’un is better that a good littl’un” but when it comes to goalkeeping, physical presence can be overcome by positional acumen and brave decision making.
Kepa’s stature is often cited as a negative – that he lacks lacks presence and authority – and in a team that has struggled so much at set plays it is natural for defenders to look over their shoulder for someone to bail them out. Kepa has struggled to do that.
Not all the blames lies with him, of course. Defensively this season, Chelsea are nowhere near as efficient in protecting their goalkeeper as they have been in the past – you would have to drop down to Southampton in 11th place before you find a defence that has been breached as much as Chelsea’s this year. But as David de Gea and others have shown – that is the time for goalkeeping greatness to shine.
It’s not a coincidence I mention De Gea. Parallels could be drawn between the two compatriots in terms of early teething problems in the Premier League but unlike the Manchester United keeper a resurgence doesn’t look to be on the cards here.
If anything, Kepa looks to be in decline.
The alternatives
So who should Chelsea be looking at, assuming they have conceded defeat on their current No 1? The three names of Jan Oblak, Andre Onana and Dean Henderson have already been linked.
The first question to be asked is what kind of side is Lampard building? If he is looking for someone in the same mould as Cech and Courtois then Oblak is their man. The Slovenian is a monster shotstopper who has always had the maturity of a keeper much older than he is, a quality much needed in Chelsea’s fresh-faced side.
Oblak has overtaken Gigi Buffon’s mantle of goalkeeping’s Mr Consistency but a nine-figure fee might just be too much of a stretch for Chelsea, unless they are willing to break the bank to almost guarantee success.
Henderson’s ambitions know no bounds and regardless of Manchester United’s promise of a place in the side in the future, he will most certainly have to wait for De Gea’s exit to become No 1 at Old Trafford. But with Spurs also waiting in the wings for England’s top performer and United an unwilling seller, Ajax’s Onana looks to be the best choice all round.
Onana is more aggressive in his position than Henderson, more positive when rushing off his line and has shown to be superior with his feet, albeit playing with a different directive in his distribution than Henderson.
At less than £30m and with Willy Cabellero still an option as third choice, Onana’s arrival might not even spell the immediate end of Kepa but will surely leave the 25-year-old questioning his future at Stamford Bridge.
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