Real Madrid were handed a major problem recently when Thibaut Courtois suffered a torn ACL before the campaign had even begun. An injury of that magnitude is expected to put him on the sidelines for an extended length of time, possibly even the entire season. The club already had Andriy Lunin as the Belgian goalkeeper’s cover but most felt that that was not enough.
Real Madrid have gone out and added to their goalkeeping ranks quickly though. The club have signed Kepa Arrizabalaga on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
Kepa was the starting goalkeeper for Chelsea last season and despite facing a lot of criticism, he did put up some impressive stats. There is also a feeling that La Liga suits him much better than the Premier League.
For the time being, Kepa’s move to Real Madrid is only a season-long loan. Could it turn into a permanent one in the future though?
As reported by BBC, Kepa hopes that his loan move to Real Madrid will be made permanent in the future and he said:
“Will I stay after the loan? Hopefully. Today is the first day. We’ll see. Hopefully with my performance I can make that happen.”
Let’s see what the future holds for Kepa. For the time being, his focus has to be on performing at a very high level this season.
If he is able to do that, then his chances of making a permanent move to Real Madrid would increase. To be very honest though, it just does not feel like it is something that is on the cards.
When Courtois does return from injury, he is expected to return to his place in the starting XI. And rightfully so. On the basis of the past few seasons, the Belgian is the best goalkeeper in the world.
Considering that, would Real Madrid be open to paying a significant transfer fee to sign Kepa on a permanent basis next summer? And would the Spaniard himself be open to joining the club permanently just to play a backup role?
