Chelsea fans are yet to see the best of the expensive signing
Kepa has received an unwanted place in a respected Spanish outlet’s list of ‘Big players in precarious situations’.
He became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when he arrived at Stamford Bridge from Athletic Bilbao for £71.6m in August 2018, but is no longer the club’s first-choice custodian.
Édouard Mendy has been between the sticks since arriving for £22m from Rennes in September 2020, and Kepa has been restricted to six appearances this season.
The Spaniard is yet to feature since Thomas Tuchel took over at Chelsea in January, and his future in London looks uncertain.
He’s joined on the Marca list by the likes of Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino, Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Tottenham pair Dele Alli and Gareth Bale.
Of the players in the list, Marca say: “They’ve been to heaven but now they are at the gates of hell.
“Players with incredible CVs, huge reputations and even bigger wage packets are currently going through tough spells.”
In their section on Kepa, they say: “He joined Chelsea as the most expensive keeper in history, but he has lost his place in the team and his confidence after failing to show his Athletic Club form.
“He joins (Eden) Hazard in having a market value that has plummeted since being a big-money signing.”
His former Chelsea team-mate has endured a difficult time since swapping Stamford Bridge for the Bernabeu, and they address Hazard’s woes by saying: “He arrived at Real Madrid with big expectations but a near-constant succession of injuries have prevented him from even beginning to fulfil them.
“Few players in the world have seen their value drop like the Belgian’s in the last couple of years.”
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