Carlo Ancelotti 'makes decision' on Real Madrid's starting goalkeeper against Celta Vigo

Forum 8 months ago

Carlo Ancelotti 'makes decision' on Real Madrid's starting goalkeeper against Celta Vigo

New Real Madrid goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to make his debut for the club in Friday's trip to Celta Vigo.

Kepa was signed on a season-long loan from Chelsea to replace the injured Thibaut Courtois, five years after first replacing the Belgian when he swapped Stamford Bridge for the Santiago Bernabeu.

After missing the first game of the season, Kepa sat on the bench alongside 18-year-old Fran Gonzalez for Saturday's 3-1 victory over Almeria as Ukraine international Andriy Lunin took the spot between the posts.

However, numerous reports in Spain now state that Kepa is set to get his first chance to prove himself on the pitch for Madrid when they take on Celta Vigo on Friday.

Marca state that manager Carlo Ancelotti has been hugely impressed with Kepa in training and is now keen to see what the loanee goalkeeper, whose deal does not include an option to buy, can do on the pitch.

Ancelotti recently confirmed that he does not plan to rotate his goalkeepers throughout the season and wants one concrete starter, and SER add that the decision has already been made to give Kepa that starting spot.

Kepa has admitted he hopes to join Madrid permanently next summer but, should the Spanish side choose to pursue such a deal, they will have to negotiate a transfer fee with Chelsea.

Next summer, Kepa will have just one year remaining on his contract with Chelsea, who were open to permanent offers this year and will seek to cut ties with the 28-year-old in 2024 before he can leave for free.