Kepa exit CONFIRMED as world’s most expensive keeper joins Bournemouth on loan as Chelsea start clearing ‘bomb squad’
BOURNEMOUTH have announced the signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The 29-year-old will remain at the Vitality Stadium until next July.
2019 Quality Sport ImagesKepa Arrizabalaga has joined Bournemouth[/caption]
Kepa has continued to fall down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge in recent years.
He was loaned out to Real Madrid last season but made just 20 appearances.
And he returned to London this summer to find that his squad number had been stripped.
New Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had no intention of including the goalkeeper in his plans for this season.
He subsequently put him in a so-called ‘bomb squad’ – a group of players training separately at the club’s Surrey base.
Although his future at Stamford Bridge is in doubt, Kepa signed a new two-year deal before departing for Bournemouth.
His contract was originally due to expire at the end of this season, meaning he would have left in a free transfer if he didn’t agree to an extension.
SunSport exclusively revealed last week that Kepa held talks with Cherries boss Andoni Iraola over a season-long loan spell.
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He received assurances that he will be first choice goalkeeper when he completes the move.
That means he could be in line to start for the Cherries against Everton on Saturday.
Discussing Kepa’s arrival on the south coast, Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake said: “We are delighted to bring a player of Kepa’s calibre to AFC Bournemouth.
“We were aware of his availability and were keen to take the opportunity to bring him to the club on loan.
“We believe he will be an exciting addition to our talented goalkeeping department.”
Kepa joined Chelsea in a £72.6million transfer from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 and remains the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper has made just 108 appearances for the Blues in six years since joining.
