Burnley’s Nick Pope is top of Chelsea’s wishlist to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga

Kepa Arrizabalaga was dropped for last weekend’s trip to Leicester City. It was the first time the Spaniard has been dropped for a Premier League game this season.

Indifferent form has seen the £71.6m record buy come in for criticism from fans. The Spain international has not improved during his 18-months at Stamford Bridge.

Kepa is still only 25-year-old, and time on his side to turn things around. Willy Caballero replaced him at the weekend, but didn’t exactly cover himself in glory, following an error of judgement that led to the Foxes second goal.

The Argentine is also 38-years-old, so hardly a long-term option for the Blues. However, according to the Daily Express, Chelsea have identified a perfect replacement for Kepa in the form of England international, Nick Pope.

Pope is Burnley’s first-choice stopper, having joined the Lancashire club in 2016. He has successfully seen off competition for the number one jersey from Tom Heaton, and Joe Hart during his time with the Clarets.

At 27-years-old, he has a bright future ahead, with a good chance of furthering his international ambitions. No fee is mentioned in the report, but there’s no doubt Burnley would want a substantial fee. In fact I doubt there’ll entertain the idea of selling one of their prized assets in the first place, but money talks these days.

Chelsea could also have a huge problem offloading Kepa. Chances of recouping the fee are minimal. The ex-Athletic Bilbao man is also tied to a long-term contract, having signed a seven-year-deal in 2018.

Kepa is no doubt short of confidence at the moment. There are parts of his game that are seriously lacking. He fails to command the penalty area, being weak on crosses. His best attribute is keeping out efforts from the spot.

There’s still time to prove his worth. If anything a new coach could help him realise his potential. Petr Cech needs to get himself down to the training ground to offer him guidance before it’s too late.