Arsenal are set to make Kepa Arrizabalaga their first signing of the 2025 summer transfer window.
Mikel Arteta’s side plan to activate Kepa’s £5m release clause, with the Spaniard keen on the move to North London.
While the expectation is that the 30-year-old will play second fiddle to countryman David Raya, the experience Kepa has means he will fight Arsenal’s current No.1 hard for the starting spot.
The improvement the Chelsea goalkeeper has made in one specific area should also ensure this as well.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s ability to save long shots has improved dramatically
A lot of pressure was placed on Kepa’s shoulders when he signed for Chelsea as a 23-year-old in 2018 for £71m, still the highest fee ever paid for a goalkeeper.
It was something he struggled to deal with during his time as the Blues’ starting goalkeeper.
The biggest issue was his vulnerability to conceding strikes from range.
In September 2020, for example, two years after joining the club, Kepa had conceded 19 Premier League goals from outside the box, more than any other goalkeeper in that time.
This is something Coaches’ Voice put down to Kepa’s reaction time, writing in their detailed analysis at the time that ‘he is too slow to react to shots from distance, often taking too long to start moving towards the ball or begin his dive.’
That analysis also explained a flaw in Kepa’s technique, stating ‘that when he dives for high balls, he moves his arm in an arc rather than directly to where it needs to be.
‘His outstretched arm often ends up too far behind the rest of his body when he reaches the ball, and so his palm is angled towards goal. He doesn’t get enough of his hand behind the ball and has, on occasion, palmed the ball into his net when trying to claw a shot away from goal.’
Fast forward to the 2024/25 season, however, and Kepa’s ability to save long shots has improved dramatically.
WhoScored, for example, detail one of the former Real Madrid goalkeeper’s strengths as saving long shots, while FotMob show that he has outperformed his Expected Goals on Target, conceding fewer goals than he should have based on the quality of shots faced.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s maturity has also developed as he has gained more experience
It’s not just his ability to save long shots that has improved in recent years.
Another facet of Kepa’s game that has developed with age is his maturity.
Most Chelsea fans will point to the 2019 Carabao Cup final as an example of the Spaniard’s initial immaturity.
Incredibly, in that game, Kepa refused to be substituted ahead of the penalty shootout (which Chelsea eventually lost to Manchester City), having a very public disagreement with manager Maurizio Sarri.
Spending much of his time on the Blues’ bench following the arrival of Edouard Mendy in 2020, however, coupled with his excellent loan spell at Bournemouth this season, seems to have helped the Spaniard’s progression in this area.
All told, it means Raya should have genuine competition for the starting berth next season after Neto’s return to Bournemouth.
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