Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has offered a lifeline to goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, despite his struggles at Stamford Bridge.
The Spain international has endured a difficult time at Chelsea, and ended up losing his place in the team under Frank Lampard, with Edouard Mendy coming in in his place last summer.
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Still, it seems that Tuchel is now ready to offer Kepa a way back into the Blues’ first-team as he insisted it’s a fresh start for everyone now that he’s in charge.
The German tactician has made an impressive start to life at Chelsea, and it is encouraging to see that he’s willing to approach his management of this squad with an open mind.
Of course, many Chelsea fans will no doubt feel Kepa has not helped himself with some unsteady performances in his time in west London, but having the confidence of your manager really can do the world of good to any player.
“He will play [against Barnsley],” Tuchel said of Kepa, as quoted by the Metro.
“From outside, of course we had a view on his situation and some difficulties on the sporting side. Maybe, also, the circumstances of his transfer are a little bit on his shoulders. That was the impression from far away, from outside.
“The good thing for him is that we start new, that this is a new start for him because I don’t have a history with him and I hope there will be no difficulties and I don’t see them coming.”