Petr Cech has played down rumours that Kepa Arrizabalaga could be set for the exit door at Stamford Bridge this summer and insists everyone involved with Chelsea is hoping the goalkeeper has a ‘great future’ at the club.
Kepa became the most expensive goalkeeper in history when he completed a £71million move to Chelsea back in 2018 but the 25-year-old has badly struggled to live up to his enormous price tag over his last two seasons in west London.
Frank Lampard ran out of patience with Kepa after a series of high-profile errors and the Spain international lost his place to 38-year-old Willy Caballero towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign.
But while a whole host of possible replacements have been linked with the Blues over the last few weeks – including Jan Oblak, Nick Pope and Andre Onana – Cech suggests Kepa remains a key part of Lampard’s plans for the new season.
‘Kepa struggled last season, that is unquestionable,’ Cech, now a technical and performance advisor at Chelsea, told Sport.cz.
‘But the club invested in him and gave him a long-term contract because they believe he has the qualities and attributes to be successful.
‘Additions will be made to the squad, perhaps even in goal, and this is what is being discussed now.
‘However, we all hope Kepa has a great future.’
‘The issue of reinforcements is now very much alive,’ the former Chelsea ‘keeper added.
‘The transfer window is until the end of October this year so there will be a lot of changes after the league begins.
‘And the question is how much the coronavirus pandemic will affect everything.’
