Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has been under heavy fire this season and it looks like the Blues have finally decided to give him a warning.
A couple of weeks ago, Frank Lampard firmly stood beside his keeper and chose to back him up with the utmost confidence.
But this week after the 2-2 draw vs Arsenal, the Chelsea manager seemed to be talking in a different tune.
“I know there’s a focus on him at the minute,” Lampard said of his goalkeeper this week.
“That’s top-line football. With his feet a couple of times against Arsenal, he took too long and nearly gave it away.
“Sometimes that can change the momentum of a game. That’s something obviously that he’ll know and has to look at — and we have to look at. It’s normal.
“Any player in a position, particularly goalkeepers, people will look at you and that’s when you stand up and show the mettle that you’ve got.”
And some rumours claim this is because the Blues have already selected a potential replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga.
As per reports, the Spaniard has until the end of the season to sort things out and if he fails to do that then Chelsea will try and make a move for Burnley keeper Nick Pope during the summer transfer window.
Nick Pope has been with Burnley since 2016 and this season the 27-year-old has put out some stellar performances for the Clarets.
During the 2019-20 season, Pope has managed to keep seven clean sheets and has conceded only 38 goals during 23 matches.
While Kepa has managed to keep five clean sheets for Chelsea but right now Pope is valued at €12 million as per TransferMarkt while the Blues paid €80 million to sign Arrizabalaga from Bilbao.
So naturally, it makes more sense for Lampard to sell off Kepa Arrizabalaga during the summer for a hefty price and use that money to rebuild the rest of the squad.
