Kepa Arrizabalaga

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Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta





Current Club: Chelsea.

Previous Clubs: Athletic Bilbao, CD Basconia.

Loan Clubs: Real Valladolid, Ponferradina.





International: Spain 3 caps.

Trophies Won: European Under-19 Championships 2013.





The world's most expensive goalkeeper is still in part about potential as a player. Kepa has the excellent reactions and fast feet of a young goalkeeper, but is still raw, with the positional defects that players without experience tend to display. That is why he can be inconsistent, as he can be caught out by being in the wrong place, but usually his reactions and movement make up for it.



As is the fashion at the moment, he is good with his feet and quick across the ground, to be able to play as a sweeper, though he seems to lack a little confidence in that aspect of his game and his starting position is a little deeper than needed to be a sweeper. In fact one criticism of him would be his choice to stay rooted to his line far too often, when he could, should even, be looking to get out to the ball.



When Kepa does come out, he does the job really well, he has the ability to do it, it is now just about getting his decision making correct and his starting position needs to be a bit further out. His shotstopping would be exceptional, certainly shots very rarely get past him when he is in the right position to save them.



A very good goalkeeper but not yet deserving of the world record fee, as he is yet to reach the level of the very best keepers. His agility is excellent, but, like so many modern keepers, he struggles to deal with crosses and lacks the authority to truly take command of his box, something that should come with experience and good coaching.



Already this season he has shown a strong mentality as he dealt with a sticky patch and came through it to establish himself as the unquestioned number one with Chelsea. That is a massive part of the goalkeeping game, the mental side of it, the self-confidence that even when it is going wrong the ability to get through it is still there. Kepa has that and that is why he will almost certainly go on to be one of the top level keepers in the next few years.



Requested by - kjmainstreet