Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has revealed that he wants to feel ‘happy’ and ‘at peace’ at Stamford Bridge amid suggestions that he could move away.
The Spanish goalkeeper has been linked with an exit from the club over the past few months, Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio emerging as potential suitors for his signature.
Having fallen down the pecking order in west London following the arrival of Edouard Mendy, it was also suggested that Kepa could potentially be open to a move.
Any exit would of course leave Chelsea in an extremely vulnerable and dangerous position, with Mendy currently in Cameroon with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations, potentially leaving Marcus Bettinelli as the Blues’ only senior goalkeeping option.
Following his run of appearances in the side due to Mendy’s lack of availability, Kepa has hinted that if he feels content and appreciated by his manager, then he would be happy to stay in the capital.
Speaking to DAZN, the 27-year-old said: “It is true that I had not had the opportunity to play several games in a row for a few months.
“I take it as an opportunity in which I think I am prepared when I am playing, I am doing well, I am leaving satisfied with the games, I am leaving happy, and that is what I was looking for.
“The last few months have not been about playing regularly, and what I have been looking for at all times is to give my best in the circumstance or in the position I was in at all times.
“Above all, (I want) to feel at peace with myself, to feel fulfilled and that I have done my best. That makes you feel at peace with yourself.”
Following that admission, the goalkeeper - a £72million signing from Athletic Bilbao in 2019 - paid tribute to Thomas Tuchel and is attempting to justify the German’s faith in him.
He continued: “He’s [Tuchel] a coach who believes in me, who from the beginning conveyed confidence in me, which for a goalkeeper is very important.
“I try to give it back to him in the best way in every opportunity he gives me. Not to him, but to the team and to myself.
“To do my best. It’s true that I feel good, I think I’m in a good moment, in which I feel good about myself and that, perhaps, makes me give that feeling to the outside as well.”
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