Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalag’a has insisted he is ‘happy’ with his situation at the club, despite finding himself as number two to Edouard Mendy.
The Spanish goalkeeper has had to content himself with a back up role at Stamford Bridge since January of last year, when Chelsea moved to bring Mendy in as their new number one.
He’s firmly established himself as that with a series of impressive performances since his arrival establishing him as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and Europe.
It means Kepa has to consign himself to a place on the bench, with just nine appearances to his name in all competitions this season, five of which have been in the Carabao Cup.
Injuries and COVID have meant he has had more of a chance than he would have been expecting and the goalkeeper insists he is happy with what he’s been able to show of himself.
“It is true that I had not had the opportunity to play several games in a row for a few months,” he told DAZN.
“I take it as an opportunity in which I think I am prepared when I am playing, I am doing well, I am leaving satisfied with the games, I am leaving happy, and that is what I was looking for.
“The last few months have not been about playing regularly, and what I have been looking for at all times is to give my best in the circumstance or in the position I was in at all times.
“Above all, (I want) to feel at peace with myself, to feel fulfilled and that I have done my best. That makes you feel at peace with yourself.”
While Kepa may not be the first choice at Chelsea anymore, that does not mean he has been entirely out of the picture under Thomas Tuchel.
The German regularly rotates his squad given the demands he puts on them, and that has seen him rest Mendy on occasion as well.
So far, Kepa has only featured under him 17 times, but he’s impressed in those games, with just nine goals conceded and 10 clean sheets to his name.
Tuchel has regularly insisted he has faith in the player to perform when called upon, something that certainly wasn’t the case under previous manager Frank Lampard, and it’s something the player feels behind the scenes as well.
“He’s a coach who believes in me, who from the beginning conveyed confidence in me, which for a goalkeeper is very important,” he added.
“I try to give it back to him in the best way in every opportunity he gives me. Not to him, but to the team and to myself.
“To do my best. It’s true that I feel good, I think I’m in a good moment, in which I feel good about myself and that, perhaps, makes me give that feeling to the outside as well.”
