Many Chelsea staff now have serious doubts about the 28-year-old and believe that he shouldn’t be starting.

According to journalist Dean Jones, there are legitimate concerns about Kepa Arrizabalaga among the Chelsea staff.

Some club members, according to him, don’t think the 28-year-old should start for the team the upcoming season, he told GiveMeSport.

Despite Kepa being the starter for the majority of the previous season, many likely believed Chelsea would have been looking to upgrade him this summer.

Edouard Mendy, a starter at the club who was replaced by him in that capacity, was already one of the players released by them.

Mendy accepted a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, where he will join N’golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly who have already relocated.

This transaction only increased the likelihood that the Blues would sign a starting goalkeeper this summer, despite a number of names being mentioned.

The club’s staff is reportedly still undecided about starting the season with Kepa in net, and there are rumblings of interest in Mike Maignan of AC Milan.

The goalkeeper scene is another situation that he predicted would get more interesting and urgent.

“Let’s see how Kepa Arrizabalaga performs in these early Pochettino days, but I’d say quite a few people around Cobham are still not completely convinced that he is the long-term number-one under the new manager.

“The connections to Mike Maignan are back, and there have undoubtedly been discussions about that potential move, so I wouldn’t ignore that.
”.

The majority of fans will concur with the assertions that, despite his return to the lineup last season, Kepa lacks the skills necessary to be the team’s starting goalkeeper.

More news……..

Chelsea dream team against Liverpool if Mauricio Pochettino completes three transfers

football.london take a look at what Mauricio Pochettino’s dream squad for Chelsea could look like when they host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge for the opening weekend of the 2023/24 season

Chelsea meet Liverpool at the opening weekend of the 2023/24 Premier League season. Mauricio Pochettino will face Jurgen Klopp in his first competitive game as Blues head coach in less than a month.

The Reds present a tough opening test for Pochettino, but one the Argentine will surely relish as he looks to score the rest of the Premier League on his return to England. Until Chelsea and Liverpool kick off on August 13, both clubs’ squads could look very different to what they are now.

Before that, however, we still have around four weeks of transfer window and Chelsea’s squad could look very different to what they are now when Liverpool come to town. That said, football.london takes a look at what Chelsea’s dream team could look like opening weekend with Liverpool in west London.

Goalkeepers: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Kepa Arrizabalaga

Chelsea watched Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili towards the end of last season and were impressed by what he saw from the Georgia international, Football.london understands. The Blues are looking for a new goalkeeper and if he gets one they are willing to sell Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Defenders: Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Malo Gusto, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah

Chelsea have so many defenders and while they shouldn’t be making defensive signings, there will be a new face in Malo Gusto with the right-back arriving after being signed in the January transfer window. Hopefully Gusto will be able to provide support and competition for Reece James given the England international’s continued injury woes in recent seasons. Benoît Badiashile is out with a long-term injury and while football.london understands the Frenchman is aiming for a pre-season return, the game against Liverpool may be too soon.

However, Chelsea are well equipped defensively with Levi Colwill, Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana and Ben Chilwell giving Pochettino a choice.

Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Carney Chukwuemeka, Rayan Cherki, Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher

So far this summer, Chelsea have sold N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount. The pursuit of Moises Caicedo’s club continues.

Chelsea and Brighton are in talks over a potential deal for the Ecuador international. football.london understands Chelsea believe they can seal a deal for less than £100m but no breakthrough has been made with the Seagulls so far.

Forwards: Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, Armando Broja, Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea have signed Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku so far this summer. It remains to be seen what role Jackson will play in the team and it is equally fascinating in which position Nkunku will be deployed in view of his versatility in attack.

Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are both expected to complete permanent transfers, while Armando Broja is eyeing a return from a serious knee injury in pre-season.