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Kepa Arrizabalaga has joined Real Madrid on a season long loan.
The Spanish club were forced to take action after Thiebaut Courtois – another former Chelsea goalkeeper – suffered an ACL injury in training last week.
That is expected to keep him out for the entirety of the 2023 – 2024 season.
Bayern Munich were also interested in a player who became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when Chelsea signed him from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, although he has never entirely convinced in his time at Stamford Bridge.
However, although that would have meant a reunion with Thomas Tuchel, the Spaniard has indicated that he has no feeling for the German club.
The move signals something of a change of mind from Chelsea, with Mauricio Pochettino haing previously indicated that Kepa was his number one going into the season.
Instead, new signing Robert Sanchez appears to have inherited that position, and started the game against Liverpool on Sunday.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.