Kepa Arrizabalaga, a goalkeeper for Chelsea, expects that his loan to Real Madrid will eventually become a permanent arrangement.
Thibaut Courtois, Real’s usual number one, is expected to miss the majority of the current campaign due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Kepa will fill in for him.
“Will I stay after the loan? Hopefully. Today is the first day. We’ll see. Hopefully, with my performance, I can make that happen,” Kepa Arrizabalaga stated.
The 28-year-old joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao for £71 million in August 2018—the largest sum ever paid for a goalkeeper—and made 163 appearances for the club.
At Stamford Bridge, Robert Sanchez, who the Blues acquired from Brighton for £25 million this summer, was vying with him for a starting spot.
Andriy Lunin, a goalkeeper from Ukraine, had his first appearance since April when Real defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in their La Liga debut.
In a league game against Almeria on Saturday, head coach Carlo Ancelotti might give Kepa his Real debut.
“I’m very proud to be at Real Madrid. I’ll never be short of hard work, commitment, and effort with this jersey both in training and in matches,” added Kepa.
“I hope that we can further add to Real’s trophy cabinet and enrich the club’s legend.”