Maurizio Sarri got his reign as Chelsea manager off to a fine start today, with his side recording a comfortable 3-0 victory over Huddersfield in their first Premier League game of the season.
It was not only the new Chelsea coach’s who was getting first taste of the English top flight though, with £71 million goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga also making his Premier League debut.
However, in the build-up to the game, Sarri admitted that while Kepa is one of the top young keepers in European football, the 23-year-old Spain international is not yet in the World Class bracket like former Blues ‘keeper Thibaut Courtois:
“Not at the moment, for sure. But he’s very young, 23. So I hope he can improve very fast. But, for the moment, he’s not Courtois, of course,” Sarri told a pre-match press conference.
“I am happy because the Courtois situation was clear. He wanted to go to Madrid. So we lost maybe one of the most important goalkeepers in the world now.
“But we bought a young goalkeeper, I think one of the most important among young goalkeepers in Europe, so I’m really happy.”