Over the past few seasons, the Blues have developed something of a reputation for pushing through last-minute deals by paying horribly inflated prices. The side was met with staunch criticism when they spent a combined total of £53m at the tail end of 2016’s summer window to secure the arrivals of David Luiz and Marcos Alonso, and Fernando Torres’ £50m deadline day arrival has gone down in the clubs folklore for all the wrong reasons.
After a relatively modest transfer window where the club was outspent by the likes of Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea have once again pulled a rabbit out of the hat to announce the £71m transfer of Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga just hours after losing Thibaut Courtois for a measly £35m, albeit with Mateo Kovacic making the temporary switch to West London.
On the face of it, this transfer appears to be nothing short of a calamity. After Real Madrid were able to prise away their first choice from Chelsea at such a cut-price, the Blues had to settle for securing the man previously ear-marked as Real’s backup to Courtois – at a fee more than double the one they received for their goalkeeper.
Firstly, looking at the deal struck for Courtois, getting a return of £35m on a player they once signed for just £7m back in 2011. The swap for Mateo Kovacic also means that the Blues add a spark of creativity that remains sorely missing from their midfield, and bring in much-needed depth ahead of a Europa League campaign.
Now on to the second component, the arrival of Arrizabalaga himself. While the £71m transfer fee may appear exorbitant, constituting a record fee for the club and a world record for a goalkeeper, it may not be as astronomical as first meets the eye.
The club has signed Kepa on a seven-year contract, meaning that they are only paying a little over £10m a year for a goalkeeper soon to enter his prime, sorting out the long-term future between the sticks at Stamford Bridge.
While there may have been cheaper options, Chelsea’s commitment to getting their man is a much-needed statement of intent at a time when many feared investment was drying up at the West London club.
