Kepa Arrizabalaga is one of the goalkeepers shortlisted for Spain ahead of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar but the Spain international might see the dream come to an end due to the injury he had last weekend.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is the newest member of the Premier League star players to succumb to the World Cup injury situation.
Kepa Arrizabalaga won’t play for Chelsea again until after the World Cup, according to manager Graham Potter.
In the Blues’ 4-1 loss to Brighton last Saturday, the goalkeeper injured his foot and was taken off at halftime as Potter had his first managerial loss in charge of Chelsea.
The midweek victory over Dinamo Zagreb by Chelsea in the Champions League without the Spain international saw Edouard Mendy reclaim his starting position.
Potter announced on Friday that Arrizabalaga will not play against Arsenal on Sunday due to an ongoing injury.
When asked about Kepa, Graham Potter who replaced Edouard Mendy as the number one when he was appointed said, “Kepa, no.
“It’s the bottom of his foot, the plantar fascia. He probably won’t play before the World Cup.”
The Spaniard will now miss Chelsea’s next two games, but his chances of being called up to the Spain squad are now hanging by a thread as he joins a growing list of stars who are undergoing treatment with the tournament in Qatar still more than two weeks away.
Currently, Chelsea is in sixth place, 10 points back of first-place Arsenal.
Under Potter, Kepa made an unexpected comeback to the team and put in several standout performances as he led his team to a nine-game winning streak.
Despite costing the club a staggering £71.6 million in 2018, a world record fee paid for a goalkeeper, he took Mendy’s place in the team after losing it months earlier.
Kepa has missed recent international matches for Spain but will be hoping to be called up after a streak of impressive performances at the club level.
Along with his Chelsea teammates Reece James and Ben Chilwell, he is one of several high-profile players in a race against time to be healthy enough to participate in Qatar.
On November 20, the host nation Qatar will play Ecuador in the tournament’s opening match.
On the other hand, Diogo Jota, Pedro Neto, Paulo Dybala, and Timo Werner won’t be at the tournament, and N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba have already been eliminated.
Raphael Varane, Kyle Walker, Gareth Bale, and Son Heung-Min are among those who will be fighting to be well in time for the competition.
What’s next for Chelsea?
Graham Potter and his men will host the current Premier League leader Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday 6th of November 2022 by 1:00 pm as the Blues will be hoping to bounce back from their last week’s defeat to Brighton.
Meanwhile, The Blues still have a great task ahead of them as they will travel to the blue side of Manchester to face the Citizens in the Carabao cup third round on Wednesday 9th of November 2022 by 9:00 pm.
