Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has revealed he received advice from Manchester United number one David De Gea following his move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
The Spain international rivals his opposite number at Manchester United for the top role as Spain goalkeeper but the duo remain close friends. The young goalkeeper is warming up to world football stardom after his record-breaking £71.6million move from Athletic Bilbao. In a month, he had broken the record set by Liverpool when they signed Allison Becker from AS Roma.
That price tag comes with enormous pressure but the 24-year old’s performances so far signal that he has dealt well with that. His start at Stamford Bridge has been promising having made sharp saves to keep Chelsea in games and help them to victory in their unbeaten start to the season.
Chelsea’s new number one says De Gea offered some advice while they played the World Cup in Russia, sharing how different the Premier League was from the La Liga.
“Every player settles into a new league in different ways. David is a team-mate with the national team and we get on really well. When I signed for Chelsea, he gave me some advice, telling me a bit about how it was for him when he came here.
Of course, he has been here for years now and is playing at a fantastic level. We were at the World Cup together and had a good chat about the differences between Spanish and English football. It’s a good thing to interact with a top goalkeeper who has so much experience in the Premier League. ‘You need a little time, the usual sort of time it takes to get to know your team-mates and the league itself, but it’s all good generally, I’m very happy.”
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Metro
