Real Madrid were dealt a significant blow at the beginning of the season when it was revealed that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was injured for the rest of the season. This left the club worried about their season as they didn’t have an immediate replacement.
Los Blancos made the decision to loan Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea to help save their season. However, the Spanish goalkeeper has fallen short of expectations, and the club has now made a decision regarding his future, with many fans expressing satisfaction upon hearing the news.
Fans rejoice over Real Madrid’s Kepa decision
Kepa Arrizabalaga was already a bench player at Chelsea, making mistakes and errors on a regular basis. However, Real Madrid decided to loan him for the season, and there was an option to buy him. But it seems that Los Blancos will not be triggering that option.
The club have reportedly made the decision to not purchase Kepa in the summer, meaning he will go back to his parent club Chelsea. It is mainly due to the fact that they expect Thibaut Courtois to be back next season as the main goalkeeper. But another reason is the resurgence of backup goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
🚨 BREAKING: Kepa will NOT stay at Real Madrid. Courtois and Lunin are the goalkeepers for next season. @relevo pic.twitter.com/hzvpPuFs0F
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) February 3, 2024
Lunin managed to get some significant game time this season when Kepa was injured. The Ukrainian goalkeeper showed that he has what it takes to be a Real Madrid goalkeeper, and many fans believe that he can even take over the starting place in the future. He has 10 appearances in the league, only conceding 5 goals, and one clean sheet in 2 UCL games.
The club believe that he should be given more game time this season, and that he will be enough as the backup for next season. Fans of the club are rejoiced to hear this, as they believe Kepa is not the perfect goalkeeper for them, and Lunin can take over the main role one day.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s performance in Madrid
Kepa Arrizabalaga has not been that great for Real Madrid since his loan move there. Despite stating his desire to make a permanent stay, it seems that it won’t be happening and he only has himself to blame.
The Spaniard has made 18 appearances, achieving 7 clean sheets but conceding 18 goals. While this stat is not bad, many Real Madrid fans believe that his errors in distributing the ball pose a danger to the team.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has conceded many goals due to errors, especially during the 5-3 Spanish Super Cup semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid. His mistakes in that match saw him benched in the final against Barcelona, where Andriy Lunin started and secured a 4-1 victory. This alone shows that the coach Carlo Ancelotti lost his faith in the player, who previously defended him after another howler against Napoli in the UCL.
Real Madrid will next face derby rivals Atletico Madrid in La Liga tomorrow night, and Kepa Arrizabalaga may be on the bench once again.
