It’s often said that the goalkeeping position is completely different to every other in the game, and it’s completely true when it comes to a number one who starts to lose the confidence of those around them.
Outfield players usually have some kind of leeway when it comes to playing themselves back into form and their teammates can help to cover for that, but once a goalkeeper loses confidence and their teammates stop trusting them, it becomes a huge problem that’s hard to fix.
The absolute example will always be Loris Karius at Liverpool after his nightmare in the UCL final against Real Madrid, but Kepa Arrizabalaga is also in a similar position at Chelsea and it’s hard to see how he ever wins that place back.
The Evening Standard have reported that the £71m signing is no longer happy at just being the backup to Edouard Mendy, and Napoli are showing an interest in signing him ahead of next season as they look for a new number one.
There’s no chance that they’ll play anything close to that, it’s more likely to be a loan deal but Chelsea may also have to take the hit on some of his £190k per-week wages too, so it’s going to result in a huge financial loss.
There are further complications to the deal at Thomas Tuchel doesn’t want to lose the Spaniard until a replacement is signed, but it does look like his long-awaited exit is getting closer.
He was outstanding with Athletic Bilbao before moving to England so hopefully a change of scenery would give him a chance to rediscover that, and Napoli could be the perfect destination.
