Chelsea ‘keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga  joins Bournemouth on loan

Kepa Arrizabalaga joins Bournemouth on a season-long loan on Thursday, capping the anticipated departure of Chelsea’s struggling players in the last two days of the transfer market.

After transferring from Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea in 2018 for £71 million ($94 million), the Spanish international goalkeeper is still the most expensive goalkeeper of all time. But ever since, he has had difficulty securing the top spot at Stamford Bridge. He spent the previous season on loan at Real Madrid.

He has made 20 appearances as the Spanish powerhouses won La Liga and the Champions League. But Andriy Lunin took his spot prior to Thibaut Courtois’s injured return. Within Chelsea’s roster of more than fifty players, Kepa was one of seven contracted senior goalkeepers.

The Cherries’ chief executive Neill Blake says: “We are delighted to bring a player of Kepa’s calibre to Bournemouth, we were aware of his availability and were keen to take the opportunity to bring him to the club on loan.”

Romelu Lukaku, Ben Chilwell, and Raheem Sterling are just a few of the well-known players that may depart Chelsea before this Friday’s transfer deadline. They have received word from head coach Enzo Maresca that they won’t be playing this season.