Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga has made a noteworthy move by joining Real Madrid on a season-long loan. This deal serves as a replacement for the injured Thibaut Courtois, as announced by the soccer clubs on Monday. The image by Neil Hall/EPA-EFE captures the essence of this significant transfer.
Aug. 14 (UPI) — Real Madrid has secured Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga on a season-long loan to strengthen their goalie position. Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois remains sidelined due to an injury. This development was confirmed by both clubs earlier this week.
Arrizabalaga’s contract is set to expire on June 30. As an experienced goalkeeper, he played in 29 games for Chelsea last season and recorded impressive numbers. However, he did not participate in their opening fixture against Liverpool, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Throughout the previous season, Arrizabalaga made 90 saves and achieved nine clean sheets. He conceded a total of 33 goals during the 2022-23 campaign. Before his time with Chelsea, he had stints with various clubs including La Liga’s Athletic Club, Real Valladolid, Ponferradina, and Basconia.
During Arrizabalaga’s five-year tenure at Chelsea, the club achieved significant milestones, winning the Champions League, Club World Cup, European Super League, and Europa League titles. On an international level, he represented Spain and played in 13 matches for their national team. Notably, he was part of Spain’s 2018 World Cup squad.
On a related note, Real Madrid has confirmed that Thibaut Courtois has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and will undergo surgery. Courtois expressed his determination to recover swiftly by sharing a photo of himself with a leg cast on Instagram. Furthermore, Eder Militao, a Brazilian defender for Real Madrid, also suffered a torn ACL and had surgery. Despite these setbacks, Manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed his belief that the team will be motivated and fight harder until the injured players return, as he shared on Instagram.
In their season opener, Real Madrid secured a 2-0 victory against Athletic Club in Bilbao, Spain. Their next La Liga match will be against Almeria on Saturday, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EDT. On the other hand, Chelsea will face West Ham in a Premier League match on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. in London. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez started the season opener for Chelsea.
