Kepa Arrizabalaga joins Real Madrid on loan: Decoding his stats
Real Madrid have signed Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on a season-long loan deal. The Spanish custodian is returning to La Liga after a long time courtesy of Thibaut Courtois' ACL injury which will keep him out of the rest of the season. Therefore Los Blancos needed someone who can fill in for the Belgian and Kepa was their first choice. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
With Courtois injured and set to miss the majority of this season, Real left with the inexperienced Andriy Lunin. Hence, he wanted an experienced goalkeeper and Kepa offers exactly that. The 28-year-old was in talks with Bayern but when Real came calling, he preferred a move to Spain. Chelsea signed Robert Sanchez from Brighton to provide competition but he is now the number one.
A look at Kepa's career stats
Kepa rose through the ranks at Athletic Bilbao. He played 50 matches for Bilbao Athletic in the Segunda Group 2 club (fourth tier). He spent two loan stints at Ponferradina and Real Valladolid and played 20 and 40 matches respectively for them. Kepa played 54 matches for Athletic Bilbao senior team before making 163 appearances for Chelsea.
A look at his journey with Chelsea
Kepa joined Chelsea in 2018 for £71.6m, which is the record transfer fee for a goalkeeper. The Spaniard represented the Blues in 163 appearances and kept 59 clean sheets. In 109 Premier League matches, he registered 35 clean sheets. He was very inconsistent throughout his stint and lost his No. 1 spot to Edouard Mendy in between before he reclaimed it last season.
Breaking down Kepa's numbers in 2022-23 Premier League season
The Spaniard featured in 29 Premier League matches last season while he registered nine clean sheets as Chelsea endured a tough campaign. Kepa made 91 saves, including 58 from inside the box. Kepa clocked a save percentage of 73.39. Out of his 895 passes attempted, he completed 722 passes with an 80.67% passing accuracy. Kepa conceded 33 goals and saved one penalty.
Bayern were also in the race to sign Kepa
Bayern Munich were also in the transfer market to sign a goalkeeper, who will provide cover for Manuel Neuer until he returns from injury. With Yann Sommer gone, they approached Chelsea to sign Kepa. The negotiation was in the advanced stages when Real Madrid came in and Kepa decided to move to La Liga rather than moving to Germany.
A look at Kepa's trophy cabinet
Kepa got decent success at Chelsea and he opened his account by winning the Europa League in the 2018-19 season. He then bagged the UEFA Champions League in the 2020-21 season beating Manchester City in the finals. The custodian won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2021. He finished runners in three FA Cups and twice in EFL Cup.
