Chelsea and manager Frank Lampard have not tried to hide their frustration with club-record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga. Now, the Blues have reportedly turned to Everton’s Jordan Pickford as a possible replacement.
Chelsea Turn to Jordan Pickford to Plug Goalkeeper Hole
Replacing Kepa
According to Tutto Mercato Web via Magnus Eriksen of Caught Offside, Chelsea will have to pay €50 million for the England keeper if they want to bring him to Stamford Bridge. This comes just two seasons after the Blues set a world-record fee for a keeper, buying Kepa from Athletic Bilbao for €80 million.
Pickford, 26, helped England reach the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Since then, he has regressed in the eyes of many. So much so, in fact, heading into the now-cancelled Euro 2020, the England Number 1 role was up for grabs.
Still, Chelsea see Pickford as an upgrade on Kepa. Or at the very least, he could provide some much-needed competition. At this point, it’s unclear if Chelsea prefer to keep, loan, or sell Kepa.
Pickford’s Problems
Pickford moved to Everton from Sunderland for £25 million in 2017 and signed a five-year deal. His career with the Toffees started out well. In his first year, he won Everton’s Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year, and Young Player of the Year awards, but it’s become rockier in the past few seasons.
Mental mistakes such as not punching the ball over the bar and out of play in the dying moments against Liverpool in December 2018 allowed Divock Origi to score the winner after the ball ricocheted off the crossbar have cost Everton points. Physical errors such as the Bruno Fernandes shot that snuck under his arms just before the Coronavirus stoppage have started to accumulate as well.
Pickford has shown he has the ability to be a top keeper, but the increase in mistakes makes him hard to trust.
Kepa has failed to truly take the Spain goalkeeper role out of David De Gea’s hands. In recent seasons, Pickford’s erratic play sees him on the edge of losing his own national team starting role in net.
Chelsea may be keen on finding a new keeper. However, Pickford doesn’t seem like a sure-fire upgrade. Especially not at the price Everton reportedly want. The Blues can most likely find better quality and value elsewhere.
Main Photo
