Stan Collymore tonight had his exclusive column on Caught Offside’s Substack published, and he didn’t hold back when told that Chelsea are potentially going to keep Kepa Arrizabalaga as their first choice goalkeeper next season.
He was scathing about the idea that Edouard Mendy would leave and Chelsea would decide against replacing him. He compared their situation to that of Manchester United, who are also faced with big decisions about their goalkeeping situation.
“Edouard Mendy looks to be on his way to Saudi Arabia so it seems Mauricio Pochettino is happy to go into the new season with Kepa as his number one, but that’s going to be a problem in my opinion because the Spaniard is weak – he isn’t physically or mentally strong enough to be the Blues’ outright number one,” he said to the website.
“Just like Manchester United shouldn’t be starting next season with David De Gea or Dean Henderson in between the sticks, Chelsea shouldn’t be playing with Kepa. Those two clubs, as well as Tottenham Hotspur, all need new number ones. I know Daniel Levy is in the process of trying to sign David Raya from Brentford, but while the Bees’ £40m asking price remains a sticking point, why on earth aren’t Chelsea and Manchester United trying their luck? – He’s a good keeper. Not only is he Premier League proven, but he has the qualities all of these teams need – the ability to play out from the back, for example.
“The problem, especially with Chelsea, is that there is no spine to their team. They’ve got a lot of flair players and the majority of their best players play out wide, but the centre of their team, from back to front is really lacking, so once again, Chelsea need to make a lot of signings, and in my opinion, when the spine of your team needs rebuilding, it should always start with signing a new goalkeeper.”
It’s a scathing attack, but also one that plenty of fans would agree with. Kepa has had many chances and has rarely convinced over an extended period. There are other priorities to upgrade this summer, but you can’t deny that having the shaky Spaniard in goal is costing us points every season.
We don’t want to waste money if a proper upgrade isn’t available, but it’s also a critical weakness.
