Struggling Kepa Arrizabalaga 'May Not Start' for Chelsea Again This Season After Leicester Snub
By Tom Gott
Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was dropped from Chelsea's starting lineup for Saturday's 2-2 draw with Leicester City, and a report from Spain has suggested that he may not start another game this season, or even ever.
The Spaniard had endured a nightmare few weeks, during which he struggled greatly and was guilty of making a number of costly high-profile errors, so Frank Lampard made the decision to drop him in favour of Willy Caballero.
According to Fernando Evangelino, who was speaking on COPE's Tiempo de Juego, Arrizabalaga may not recover his place in the starting lineup as Lampard is understood to have grown tired of his mistakes.
The boss wanted to drop Arrizabalaga earlier in the season, but was reluctant to do so as he is the world's most expensive goalkeeper. However, he felt as though he could not delay that decision any longer as the Blues visited the high-flying Foxes.
Lampard has already asked scouts to look for alternative goalkeepers next summer. The likes of Burnley's Nick Pope and Manchester United's Dean Henderson are thought to have been discussed, but nothing has been decided as of yet.
It is suggested that Caballero could continue as Chelsea's starting goalkeeper for the rest of the season. However, given he is 38 years old and out of contract at the end of the current campaign, he is not expected to continue as a starter next season.
That could leave the door open for Arrizabalaga to regain his spot, but any new arrival could have an impact on that.
It certainly seems as though Lampard is concerned about Arrizabalaga's current level of performance, but to see him benched for the remainder of the campaign would come as a huge surprise.
At times, the 25-year-old has proven that he is capable of starring for an elite side, and Chelsea's massive £71.6m investment in him suggests Arrizabalaga will be given a little while longer to bounce back.
However, if he continues to cost his side goals, then Lampard will certainly struggle to reinstate him to the lineup, regardless of his price tag.