Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

Chelsea to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga with this Argentine keeper

One of the biggest obstacles Frank Lampard's Chelsea has endured this season is the lack of assurance in front of the goal.

Chelsea to replace Kepa with this Argentine keeper

Bengaluru, March 20: One of the biggest obstacles Frank Lampard's Chelsea has endured this season is the lack of assurance in front of the goal.

Chelsea's offensive number has been brilliant so far but the Blues aren't meeting those expectations on the defensive side. The team have conceded around 12 more goals than expected and Kepa can be mostly to blame for that underperformance.

With a squad overhaul in mind, it is now understood that Lampard is ready to replace the keeper with a new option and a new name that has been brought up, that is Udinese shot-stopper, Juan Musso.

Musso has been a huge hit for Udinese since he joined them from Racing Club in 2018 and Chelsea reportedly are keeping close tabs on him.

As per Italian media, TuttoUdinese, Chelsea are the team that really looks in the front row in the chase of the 25-year-old as they look to bolster their options between the posts.

Musso's performance this season

The Argentine goalkeeper if compared with Kepa, is boasting a similar number however his shot-reflex appears to be better than the Spaniard. Kepa has one of the worst save percentages in the entire league conceding a goal every 70 minutes or so.

Musson on the other hand, may have shipped in 37 goals from his 26 league fixtures which is more down to Udinese being a midtable side in Serie A. However, his goal per game ratio is also around 1.4 and save percentage is almost 75% which is quite impressive. He has kept nine clean sheets in 26 Serie A games for the Italian club this season.

Is this move feasible for Chelsea?

Kepa has come back into the team over the last couple of fixtures, but it is understood that Lampard still does not see him in a long term Blues future. Chelsea are likely to look for buyers for the Spaniard before setting up a move for a new keeper.

And despite his struggles, Arrizabalaga still remains highly-rated around Europe. So Lampard could expect to recoup the majority of the club’s initial outlay.

Chelsea have not used a penny this year and Lampard is expected to be given a bigger budget in the coming Summer. The rumoured €30m price tag should not be a problem to land him. Musso is out of contract in 2021 so Udinese will be keen to cash in on their star man before he potentially leaves for free at the end of next campaign.

Musso, however, is just another name in the list of targets which includes the likes of Jan Oblak, Dean Henderson, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Andre Onana. Now whether he ends up at Chelsea, remains to be seen, as Inter are reportedly also looking at him.

Story first published: Friday, March 20, 2020, 20:18 [IST]
Other articles published on Mar 20, 2020