Kepa Arrizabalag was set to compete for the gloves at Stamford Bridge until an injury to Thibaut Courtois urged Real into action, and a deal was swiftly completed to sign Kepa on loan for the season.
The Spanish goalkeeper has made nine appearances already this season, with Real sitting top of La Liga and their Champions League group, so things are going well.
Despite not always impressing at Chelsea, there was no shortage of interest in Kepa over the summer,
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with Bayern Munich also keen to sign him, but he said that Real Madrid was the only option for him when he knew they wanted him.
He Said
‘The loan to Madrid was very quick.’
‘Everything was sealed in a few hours, with just two phone calls.
‘I had spent five seasons at a big club, Chelsea, and I thought a change could be good for me.
It’s true that there was the option of Bayern… but Real Madrid called and I didn’t have to think about it.
‘If there were other opportunities before it didn’t matter, what matters is that it became a reality last summer.’
Courtois will be expecting to regain his place in the starting XI when he is fit again
and Kepa’s future is unclear when that happens and past the end of this season, but he is not concerning himself with that now.
‘I don’t want to start thinking in October about what could happen [next] July,’ he said.
‘But what I can say is that I am very happy.
‘Of course, I will not lack effort and enthusiasm.
I will try to help make Madrid’s history even greater and enjoy every minute, every game to its fullest.’
