Kepa goes in on Todd Boehly and Chelsea despite still being under contract, he's the first player to speak out

Kepa Arrizabalaga has given a scathing assessment of Chelsea's project under Todd Boehly.

The Blues have endured a difficult start to the 2023/24 campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, having already suffered defeats to West Ham and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

The results have left them in 12th place in the league table, the exact same position they finished last season, and their form has raised questions over the club's transfer strategy.

The west London side have splashed £400 million this summer to take their spending to the £1 billion mark since the arrival of the Boehly consortium, but they have very little to show for it so far.

Kepa, who joined Real Madrid on loan this summer, has since offered his thoughts on the project at Stamford Bridge, confirming he plans to stay at the Bernabeu.

"My intention is to stay [with Real Madrid] for more than a year," the goalkeeper told Spanish outlet COPE (quotes via Evening Standard).

"It only took a couple of calls because when Real Madrid call, it is different. I felt the Chelsea project was not the right one."

When quizzed by Marca if he rejected German giants Bayern Munich, who were seeking cover for the injured Manuel Neuer, Kepa took the opportunity to aim another dig at his current employers, Chelsea.

"Real Madrid is Real Madrid," he added. "When Real Madrid call you, it's easy. I've faced Real three times with Chelsea.

"When I arrived at Bernabeu I always turned left, to the visiting dressing room, but I wanted to turn right, to local dressing room!"

It is not the first time Kepa has spoken out about Boehly, revealing that the 49-year-old comes into the dressing room after every game.

"Todd comes to the dressing room every game," he told reporters in the lead-up to Chelsea's quarter-final second round Champions League tie against Real Madrid in April. "He had different chats with us.

"I'm not going to say what he said. It's normal when he comes to the changing room."

Pochettino has signed Robert Sanchez from Brighton as the Spaniard's replacement, with the 25-year-old keeping just one clean sheet so far which came in a 3-0 win over Luton Town.

Topics: Real Madrid, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea, Football, Premier League, La Liga

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno