Chelsea smash transfer record for Kepa, Courtois gets Madrid move: Who has the better buy?

The Spanish custodian won the UEFA European U-20 Championship in 2012.

Until last night – 8th August 2018 – Thibaut Courtois departure from England didn't seem to be true but that fantasy slowly turned into reality as the Belgian goalkeeper seemed to be a little too adamant to leave for Real Madrid. But The Blues have responded brilliantly in their record signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao for a massive £71.6m breaking the transfer record for a goalkeeper.

If one looks at the £35m Real Madrid paid for the 26-year old, it is decent enough and is of good value, as he just a year left in his contract. Nobody really knows, why did Courtois leave Chelsea. He was their #1 goalkeeper and would be for years to come. Maybe he wanted to join the La Liga club for greater honours of the likes of the UEFA Champions League, or it was just family reasons.

It was just last month when Alisson broke the transfer record for a goalkeeper when Liverpool signed him from AS Roma for £65m. So nobody expected it to be broken so soon!

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Real Madrid has made one of the best bargain buys of this transfer window. They have received a highly experienced shot-stopper who has proved his mettle in England and Spain (Chelsea had earlier loaned Courtois to Atletico Madrid). Even in the recently concluded FIFA World Cup, the former Genk custodian pulled in a few stunning saves to take his nation to third place.

In the case of Chelsea, this deal could turn into one of the best buys of football history or one of the worst. With all honesty, Arrizabalaga is an unproven goalkeeper. Yes, he has represented Bilbao's first team in the Spanish top-tier, but he can't e considered world-class yet or even near the same level as Courtois. The 23-year old was even linked to Real Madrid in January 2018. During 2017-18 La Liga season, Athletico Bilbao finished a poor 16th in the league with Kepa between the sticks. He was also Spain's third choice goalie in Russia behind David de Gea and Pepe Reina. There is no doubt that the 6ft 2in shot-stopper has potential, but it's just that the level of Premier League could be a little too early for him.

To sum it up, Real Madrid has made one of the best bargain buys of the summer when compared to other European giants, meanwhile, Chelsea has chunked out a huge amount of cash for an unproven Spanish custodian.