Graham Potter has confirmed that Chelsea £147,000 per week player will be unavailable to play against Arsenal this weekend
Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea won’t be able to play against Arsenal this weekend, according to Graham Potter.
Prior to Sunday’s Premier League London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal, Potter has revealed important team news.
In a few days, the Blues will host their opponent at Stamford Bridge and are now 10 points behind them in the standings.
Chelsea, which is currently sixth in the division after last weekend’s humiliation at Brighton, will be keen for some favorable league results before the World Cup break.
With an impressive 31 points from just 12 games, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are the front-runners at the top of the standings.
Kepa, who has been the starter since Potter took over as head coach, won’t play in the crucial league game this weekend.
With a foot injury, the 28-year-old had to leave the game against Brighton at halftime. He was also not included in the matchday squad for Tuesday night’s 2-1 Champions League triumph over Dinamo Zagreb.
Potter has revealed Kepa won’t be starting against Arsenal in an interview with BT Sport. He won’t be fine for Sunday, no. Having crutches is simply preventative because the bottom of his foot is what needs to be protected from weight bearing. Although he is making good progress, he won’t be available on Sunday.
Kepa’s forced benching comes at a time when he is producing some of his greatest football while wearing the jersey of Chelsea.
Fortunately, it sounds like the Spanish shot-injury stopper’s is not too serious.
The return of Edouard Mendy to the starting lineup against Dinamo Zagreb suggests that he will feature again this weekend.
For 30-year-old Mendy, it’s the kind of high-stakes match versus Arsenal when a strong performance can go a long way toward helping him regain his starting job in goal.
Kepa recently discussed how a new boss has helped him regain his confidence. However, his teammate has a window of opportunity right now.