Chelsea's on-loan keeper Kepa slams Todd Boehly's £1bn 'project'

‘It wasn’t right’: Chelsea’s on-loan keeper Kepa issues a damning verdict on Todd Boehly’s £1bn ‘project’, as he reveals Mauricio Pochettino ‘told me I would play’ before being left with Robert Sanchez

• Kepa Arrizabalaga joined Real Madrid on loan this summer 
• Mauricio Pochettino told the Spaniard he wanted him to stay at Chelsea 
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off 

Kepa Arrizabalaga revealed he left Chelsea in this summer after growing disillusioned with Todd Boehly’s ‘project’ as he felt he needed a change of scenery.

The Spaniard joined Real Madrid on loan last month, with Los Blancos needing to replace Thibaut Courtois after the Belgian ruptured his ACL.

Speaking to Spanish radio COPE, Kepa delivered a thinly-veiled criticism of Boehly’s spending spree and admitted he did not have to think twice about leaving Chelsea.

‘I felt it was time for a change of scenery,’ he said.

‘I wanted to stay, but I felt that the project was not the right one.’

Kepa Arrizabalaga revealed he left Chelsea in this summer after growing disillusioned with Todd Boehly’s ‘project’

Chelsea have spent over £1billion on players since Boehly took over last year

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Chelsea have spent over £1billion on players since Boehly took control of the club last year as Clearlake bought 60 per cent of Chelsea in a £4.25bn takeover.

The Blues splashed £350m on players this summer, breaking the British transfer record to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton in a deal worth £115m seven months after setting the previous record when they signed Enzo Fernandez for £107m.

The rate of turnover has been similarly frantic in the dug-out, where Mauricio Pochettino is Chelsea’s third permanent manager in six months after Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter were sacked.

The lavish investment is yet to pay any dividends, with the Blues slumping to their worst ever finish in a Premier League campaign last term and languishing in 12th place after four matches this season.

Chelsea paid £72m to sign Kepa from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 – the highest sum ever paid for a goalkeeper – but spent £25m to bring in Robert Sanchez from Brighton this summer.

Kepa explained Pochettino wanted him to stay after allowing Édouard Mendy to leave Stamford Bridge, but the Spaniard felt he needed a change.

‘Yes, it was very fast [move to Real Madrid],’ he told Marca.

‘It’s true that Pochettino wanted me to stay and he told me that I was going to play, that he trusted me, but I thought that a change would be good for me, I wanted a change. 

Kepa said Mauricio Pochettino wanted him to stay at Chelsea this summer 

‘Thomas Tuchel called me. We were close to going to Munich.’

The prospect of being reunited with Tuchel, however, soon faded away as Real made their interest known.

‘When Madrid calls you, everything changes,’ he told COPE. 

‘My signing was closed in just a few hours and a couple of calls.’ 

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