Kepa Arrizabalaga might find himself in a bit of a sticky situation when he heads back to Chelsea this summer.
After spending a season on loan at Real Madrid, where he racked up 20 appearances, Arrizabalaga still has one year remaining on his contract with Chelsea. Despite being the priciest goalkeeper in the world, the 29-year-old is likely to be assessing his options ahead of next season and could be given a clean slate under new manager Enzo Maresca, although he's already familiar with one of the new boss' assistants, Willy Caballero.
The two were previously teammates during a notorious incident at the 2019 Carabao Cup final, where Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted off for Caballero, leading to jaw-dropping scenes at Wembley. Arrizabalaga mistakenly thought coach Maurizio Sarri wanted him off due to a cramp he suffered during extra time.
Determined to remain in the game for the penalty shootout against Manchester City, Arrizabalaga famously gestured 'no' with his finger, disregarding the substitution board held by the fourth official, much to the dismay of both Caballero and Sarri. Chelsea ultimately lost the shootout, and Arrizabalaga later expressed regret for the confusion.
"I tried to signal that I was OK, that I wasn't injured. But we were at Wembley in front of more than 80,000 people, so of course Sarri didn't understand me," the goalkeeper explained in the Players' Tribune. "When the fourth official raised the board, clearly I should have come off, and I'm sorry I didn't.
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"I was wrong, and I am sorry for everyone who was involved: for Maurizio Sarri, who it seemed like I had undermined in public; for Willy (Caballero), a team-mate and a great professional; and for all my team-mates and Chelsea fans who had to put up with everything all the noise that was generated during the game and then in the days after."
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Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri looks on next to substitute goalkeeper Willy Caballero during 2019 Carabao Cup final (Nick Potts/PA Wire)Arrizabalaga was briefly benched and received a fine from Chelsea for rejecting the substitution, with Caballero seen as the better choice for the shootout. Former goalkeeping coach Massimo Nenci shared that Sarri's decision was not swayed by Arrizabalaga's fitness but acknowledged the Spain international's immediate regret.
"All the team was angry in the dressing room," Nenci disclosed to Daily Mail. "But first of all, I want to tell you that Kepa is a very, very good guy. And when he recognised his mistake he cried, he cried. He is a very good guy. He was saying, 'I'm sorry mister, I'm sorry. I didn't understand.'"
Despite the tense situation, the two goalkeepers continued as teammates for another two seasons. Arrizabalaga later vindicated himself by saving two penalties in a semi-final shootout against Eintracht Frankfurt, helping Chelsea clinch the Europa League title months later.
Caballero and Arrizabalaga are gearing up for a new chapter together. The seasoned ex-Chelsea shot-stopper, 42, will be an assistant coach and worked with Maresca at Leicester City, where he played a part in securing the Championship title.
In September, Maresca shared insights on Caballero's transition into his coaching team at Leicester, stating: "I knew very well, Willy, because we played together 10 years ago. Since we played together, we always talk about football. I knew his intention was to start as a coach and leave football as a player. So I saw what I was looking for in an assistant.
"Now he's in charge of set-pieces. Him and Danny [Walker] both. They are also in charge to make some extra work with some young players to try to improve them."
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