Chelsea Need to Sell £150k-Per-Week Underperformer Earning More Than Cole Palmer

Since Todd Boehly’s takeover of Chelsea in 2022, the club has spent heavily on new signings. However, not all of these expensive additions have lived up to expectations. One player who has particularly struggled to justify his high price tag and wages is goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Kepa joined Chelsea for a world record £71.6 million fee for a goalkeeper in 2018. However, his performances have been largely disappointing, with just 163 appearances for the club before being loaned out to Real Madrid and then Bournemouth over the past two seasons.

Despite his lack of impact at Stamford Bridge, Kepa remains Chelsea’s highest-paid goalkeeper on a staggering £150,000 per week. This works out to £7.8 million annually in wages alone. When combined with his transfer fee, Kepa has cost Chelsea an eye-watering £111 million so far.

Even more frustratingly for Chelsea fans, Kepa earns £20,000 per week more than current star player Cole Palmer. Since joining from Manchester City last summer, Palmer has been a revelation, scoring 14 goals and providing 6 assists in just 27 appearances this season.

At just 22 years old, Palmer looks to be worth every penny of the £40 million Chelsea paid for him. His weekly wage of £130,000 seems reasonable given his match-winning contributions.

With Kepa entering the final year of his contract this summer, Chelsea must look to offload the Spanish goalkeeper permanently. His high wages and poor performances make him an expensive liability the club can no longer afford to carry.

Selling Kepa would free up significant funds that could be reinvested in a new first-choice goalkeeper ahead of next season. It’s clear the 30-year-old is not the long-term solution between the posts for Chelsea.

While Kepa has shown flashes of ability during his loan spells, his overall Chelsea career has been hugely disappointing given the massive outlay on him. The club must cut their losses this summer and move on from one of their most expensive transfer mistakes.