Why Is Kepa Out On Loan?

Chelsea have a whopping eight goalkeepers on their books at the moment, and yet their fans have been complaining about the situation in between the sticks all season long. Robert Snachez has been trusted as the starting goalkeeper for a lot of this campaign, but recently he has lost his place to Filip Jorgensen, who joined from Villarreal in the summer. This uncertainty in goal has led to defensive fragility within the Chelsea squad, but it didn’t have to be this way, as the two time Champions League winner and the most expensive goalkeeper of all time, Kepa Arrizabalaga is still on their books, but out on loan to Bournemouth.

Sanchez This Season

Sanchez’s stats in goal for Chelsea this season aren’t too bad. He has managed to keep just four clean sheets this campaign, however that isn’t entirely his fault, as his defenders will have a say in that too. These have come against Bournemouth, West Ham, Aston Villa and Everton, all respectable results. On top of that, Sanchez has managed 71 saves this season, which puts him joint fifth in the rankings alongside Leicester’s Mads Hermansen, who has received plaudits for his goalkeeping. So why have Chelsea fans been so vocal about their goalkeeping situation?

🚨🔵 Understand Chelsea new coach Maresca told the board that he really likes Robert Sánchez.

Maresca, looking forward to working with Spanish GK next season as he believes Robert is ready for next phase of his career.

Chelsea expect Sánchez to stay at the club this summer. pic.twitter.com/0SsyYsHDqu

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 3, 2024

The Spanish stopper joined the club for a lot of money and was considered to be one of the modern goalkeepers who plays high, punches or claims crosses, and is good with their feet. Chelsea play that style of football, but it is clear that Sanchez is not entirely comfortable with it. On corners, Sanchez is often rooted to the floor and he has made just nine punches this season. In comparison, Guglielmo Vicario has made 12, in just 13 appearances. Sanchez has tried to buy into the modern playstyle of goalkeepers, by making over 700 passes this season, but he has also made the most mistakes that have led to a goal in this campaign, with five. This has caused the frustration among Chelsea fans, as they have had some incredible shot stoppers in the past such as Petr Cech and Thibaut Courtois, but now they are unsure who is going to start each game.

Kepa This Season

Kepa joined Bournemouth on loan after their starting keeper, Neto, moved on loan to Arsenal as a replacement for Aaron Ramsdale. He made his debut for the club in their 3-2 win against Everton in August and has since played 18 times for them in the league. Bournemouth fans have been a bit undecided on him, but recent performances, especially the one against Manchester United at Old Trafford, have helped him build a bit of a fanbase on the south coast. He has now kept five clean sheets in the league, against Arsenal, Manchester United, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.

Kepa has the best save success rate in the Premier League this season (74.7%). 🧤

Is Chelsea's best goalkeeper the one currently on loan at another PL club? 😬 pic.twitter.com/c20FKIpiqD

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 13, 2025

His save stats are slightly behind Sanchez, as he has made just 65, but Bournemouth have one of the best defensive records in the league, with just 29 goals conceded, while Chelsea have five more. Kepa also has the best save success rate in the league at 74.7%, while Sanchez is 2% worse off with a 72.4% save rate. Bournemouth’s play style is quite different to that of Chelsea’s as they often play the ball long into their left channel to find the head of Antoine Semenyo or Milos Kerkez. Kepa therefore has made fewer passes then Sanchez, as he has been firing the ball long to the Bournemouth attackers, while his compatriot has been messing about with it at the back. This is made even more clear when you see that Sanchez has made five mistakes leading to goals while Kepa has made just one.

What Next For Kepa At Chelsea?

Enzo Maresca and the Chelsea board quite obviously don’t like Kepa, and I don’t think a lot of Chelsea fans like him either. If Maresca is to stay at Chelsea beyond this season, then I don’t see the Spanish goalkeeper having much of a future there. I’m sure Bournemouth would like to sign him on a permanent deal, but his wages might be a stumbling point, especially if clubs with a higher wage budget start looking at him because of his performances this season.

The reason for Kepa's banishment from the first team is unknown, but it is likely due to the play style of Maresca being one that requires Kepa to be good with his feet. For all of his skills with his hands, Kepa has never been a ball playing keeper, even though he has be tried in many ball playing teams. Now that he has found a team that allows him to play the ball long, he'll want to stay for as long as possible.