Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga – the worst keeper in the Premier League

He’s the most expensive goalkeeper ever, but Kepa Arrizabalaga can’t seem to make any saves, and is statistically the worst keeper in the Premier League.

2 shots on target, 2 goals – that was one of the main stats that popped off the sheet when 10-man Arsenal drew Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to register a save that night – and this is something that is becoming a regular occurrence for Chelsea, who continue to struggle in the Premier League as January comes to a close.

While Chelsea’s backline is not immune to criticism, they have actually done quite a good job in limiting how many shots they concede. In fact, only table-toppers Liverpool (61) have conceded fewer shots on target this year than Chelsea, who have allowed 69.

Despite this, the Blues have still conceded a whopping 32 goals, which equals a goal conceded every 2.15 shots faced on average – according to fbref.com, this is by far the worst ratio in the Premier League. The 2nd worst ratio is that of Southampton, who are conceding a goal every 2.54 shots on average.

This means that Kepa Arrizabalaga has comfortably the worst save percentage in the Premier League, with just 53.6%. In comparison, many other Premier League goalkeepers at top clubs have a significantly better percentage: Leno (71.9%), Alisson (83.3%), Schmeichel (71.8%), and De Gea (66.7%).

If Kepa was not the most expensive goalkeeper of all-time, this likely would not matter as much, but since he is, we must bring up these statistics and hold him accountable for his poor performances.

In the same summer that Chelsea brought in Kepa for a whopping £72 million, Liverpool signed Alisson Becker for £56 million – a player who many consider to be the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, and maybe even the world.

Kepa was a poor bit of business from Chelsea, and he should be in serious danger of getting replaced.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has to improve his game, and quickly, because Chelsea’s firepower that had them playing great football in the first few months of the season has fizzled out, and a top goalkeeper, especially the most expensive one ever, should be capable of making important saves and winning points on his own sometimes.