According to recent reports, Chelsea have made Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford their ‘number-one’ candidate to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga this summer.
The report in the Daily Express claims that Frank Lampard is ‘ready to wave goodbye’ to the Spanish shot-stopper, who joined the club for a fee of £72m back in 2018, as the coach has ‘grown tired of Kepa’s ability to dip between the sublime and the ridiculous within games’.
Citing TuttoMercatoWeb, the Express suggests Pickford is now Chelsea’s ‘number-one target’ to replace Kepa over the upcoming transfer window, and the report claims that while it would appear unlikely that Chelsea will be able to find a buyer for the Spaniard over the summer, they may offer him out on a two-year loan deal to make way for Pickford.
TIF Thoughts…
Despite Lampard’s reported stance on Kepa’s form this term, after looking at his stats in comparison to Pickford’s, the results are somewhat surprising.
While Pickford has conceded 46 goals and managed eight clean sheets over his 31 Premier League appearances, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.4/10, Kepa, who is valued at £28.8 million (Transfermarkt), has conceded 34 goals and kept six clean sheets over his 27 Premier League appearances, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.42.
Should Carlo Ancelotti be looking for a replacement for Jordan Pickford this summer?
Yes, not been good enough
No, he's got so much potential
As such, it would appear that there is not a great deal of difference between the two shot-stoppers, and with Everton not likely to be open to their ‘keeper leaving, in addition to the fact that Pickford is currently valued at £25.2m, the argument could be made that Chelsea’s want of the Everton ‘keeper may not actually be the best move for the club.