Kepa Arrizabalaga has been discussing just how happy he is to have put pen to paper on a deal to join Chelsea this summer.
Following the news of Thibaut Courtois’ imminent departure to Real Madrid, the Blues moved fast to secure the services of Kepa from Athletic Bilbao after courting the player for some time.
Kepa arrives at Stamford Bridge as the most expensive goalkeeper in footballing history, eclipsing the fee Liverpool spent to recruit Alisson from Roma this summer.
Nevertheless, the young Spaniard is not thinking about the pressures of the price tag and is instead relishing the challenge in the Premier League with Chelsea.
As quoted by the club’s official website, Kepa spoke excitedly about the move to West London.
I’m incredibly happy to be here, this is a great challenge for me and it means a lot in my career and personal life. It’s a great step forward in my career, and very brave of the club to take me in.
In terms of the price, it’s something I don’t think about. I just want to be myself, the same as I’ve always been, and try to give my best for the club.
Kepa is set to step in as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper for the foreseeable future and could make his debut for the club when they take on Huddersfield Town on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
At the end of the day, I think some players take more time to adapt, others take less, everybody is different. I just hope I can adjust and adapt as soon as possible but we’re all different.
It’s true the English game is different but I have a lot of friends, other Spanish players, already playing in the English Premier League and they’ve given me fantastic references about playing here. I’m really happy to be here and looking forward to joining them.
