Spanish international goalie Kepa Arrizabalaga has signed with the Cherries.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, a custodian for Spain, has signed a contract with the CHERRIES. The keeper joins on a season-long loan from Chelsea, who acquired him in 2018 for a record-breaking amount for a goalkeeper. After being on loan to Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid last season, he has inked a new contract at his native club to enable the loan. Kepa played in four Champions League games and 14 La Liga games in the previous season.

He was benched for the Champions League final, which saw the Spanish team defeat Borussia Dortmund 2-0. While Cherries manager Andoni Iraola was a member of the first team, the 29-year-old started his career with Athletic Bilbao’s development system. Regarding his prior history with Kepa, Iraola stated this week: “I believe we haven’t played together any game, but I know him.”

“I know him obviously because we trained together a lot when I was a first team player and he was an academy player for a long time, but I don’t think we’ve played together.” “We are delighted to bring a player of Kepa’s calibre to AFC Bournemouth,” stated Neill Blake, the chief executive of the team, in a statement regarding the signing. “We were eager to take advantage of the chance to bring him to the club on loan and were aware of his availability. “We think he will be a fantastic addition to our group of talented goalkeepers.”

In addition to playing at Real Valladolid, Basconia, and Ponferradina, Kepa advanced to the main team in Bilbao. Along with 13 for the Spanish national team, he has made 109 appearances for Chelsea.