Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has admitted he will hold talks with Thomas Tuchel as he wants to play more next season.
The Spanish goalkeeper is firmly the number two behind Edouard Mendy at this moment in time, having been supplanted by the 30-year-old following his arrival in September 2020.
Kepa has been forced to play the cup goalkeeper role since then, making just four appearances in the Premier League in total last season.
In contrast, he had six appearances in the EFL Cup, two in the FA Cup and one each in the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup.
That still meant he only accumulated 15 appearances in total last season, a poor return for a player who once cost Chelsea a record fee.
He’s subsequently been linked with a move away again this summer, with several reports indicating that former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri would be happy to take him to Lazio.
Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Kepa has made it clear he will be seeking talks about his playing time.
“I’m looking forward to it (next season),” he told Marca.
“I’m excited, ambitious, eager to start, to enjoy myself and, above all, to play more. I want to be on the pitch more.
“The conversation with him (Thomas Tuchel) is easy; on a day-to-day basis, he is totally accessible to the players. With me personally, I notice the affection and confidence he has in me.
“Obviously, I want to play more. It’s true that he’s giving another teammate [Mendy] a lift, and that’s what I’m trying to change in my day-to-day life; I want to play, and that’s what I’m training and preparing for.
“Right now, I’m a Chelsea player, but what I know is that I want to play more because, after a year or two where, when I have played, I have had a great return.
“I’m not desperate. At the end of the day, I’m at a very big club… I’ll talk to the coach, and we’ll decide, but with a clear message that I want to play more.”
