How Kepa has adapted to life in new country
FOR a goalkeeper used to the more-refined rhythms of La Liga, adapting to the Premier League can be traumatic.
Remember David de Gea’s first season at Manchester United in 2011-12?
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea’s world-record signing from Athletic Bilbao, seems to have managed seamlessly.
But then the Basque had the benefit of some good mentoring over the summer. He was in Spain’s World Cup squad alongside De Gea and Pepe Reina, another with English experience.
‘When I signed for Chelsea David gave me some advice, telling me a bit about how it was for him when he first came here,’ said Kepa, who takes on Southampton today with Chelsea aiming to extend their unbeaten run to 11 games.
‘Every player settles in to a new league in different ways. David and I are different to each other, but we get on really well. At the World Cup we did have a chat about the differences between Spanish and English football. That’s a good thing, interacting with a keeper who has so much Premier League experience.’
The fact that a key player such as Thibaut Courtois hasn’t been missed is a testament to Kepa’s ability.
He added: ‘Football in England and Spain is a little different. You need a little time, the usual sort of time it takes to get to know your team-mates and the league, but it’s all good generally, I’m very happy.’ He doesn’t appear especially concerned with the £72million transfer fee Chelsea paid for him, a world record for a keeper.
‘It’s a price I don’t really have to focus on too much. I just have to concentrate on my own priorities, which are to keep working hard and helping the team, and keep on winning games.
‘We like to play the ball with our feet here and maybe it was not quite so much at Athletic but for sure we did practice it through the various age-groups of the Spanish national team, so it’s a style of play I know and something I feel relaxed and comfortable with. I’m happy that the manager (Maurizio Sarri) encourages this too.
‘We’re working to be in the mix when there are five or eight league games left, involved in every competition possible by the time we get to March and April.’