Andy Gray has claimed that Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is a ‘better’ player than his Everton counterpart, Jordan Pickford, as he told the Keys and Gray podcast.
The former striker added that if a ‘top’ player becomes available to sign, then there is no reason why Everton shouldn’t look to sign him.
Kepa is Chelsea’s number two at Stamford Bridge after he was replaced by Edouard Mendy in between the sticks.
It was Frank Lampard who replaced the Spanish shot-stopper after his error-prone ways when he was in charge of the London club.
And when presenter Richard Keys asked Gray whether Everton should try to sign Kepa, he seemingly backed the idea.
Keys asked: “Would Everton be interested in Kepa? He leaves Chelsea next summer. Should they be interested? Is he a better goalkeeper than Jordan Pickford?”
Gray responded: “Would they be interested? Jordan Pickford is a strange one, for me. A strange one in saying that he is England’s number one, right now.
“But when I watch Everton and when I watch Jordan, he never fills me with the utmost confidence. I always think there is an edginess about him. There is a nervousness about him. Maybe I am wrong.
“When a new coach goes in. They almost change a few positions. The goalkeeper is one of them. Frank Lampard will have his own idea of what he thinks is a good goalkeeper.
“The answer would be ‘no’ then (given that Lampard replaced Kepa at Chelsea). I would argue he is a better keeper than Pickford. But if a top goalkeeper becomes available, what’s wrong with being interested? He is a top goalkeeper?”
When it comes to the international stage, and the international stage only, Pickford has proven to be one of the best in the world.
In recent years, he has had a number of difficulties on the domestic stage for the Toffees.
But that hasn’t been the case during this campaign, despite playing in the mess in front of him.
Pickford has been far better and replacing him shouldn’t really be front and centre of Lampard’s thoughts in the summer.
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