According to the Daily Star, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has identified Nick Pope as the ideal candidate to become the new Chelsea number one.
The Burnley ace has enjoyed a brilliant season at Turf Moor that saw him notch up 15 Premier League clean sheets. He eventually finished one behind Golden Glove winner Ederson.
This is in stark contrast to Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has struggled to impose himself as Chelsea’s last line of defence. A comparison can be made on how the duo performed at Anfield last month.
While Pope single-handedly ensured his team got a point, Kepa was helpless to stop the Liverpool scoring five times. Unfortunately, that has been the trend all season, with the Spaniard failing to inspire confidence.
Lampard has lost patience with Kepa and is keen to replace him this summer. The writing was on the wall, with the 25-year-old dropped for the FA Cup final yesterday.
Bringing in Pope will not be cheap, with the Clarets star having three more years to go on his contract. According to the report, a deal worth £50m should be enough to convince Sean Dyche’s side to sell.
The Englishman is keen to make the step up as he bids to become England’s starting goalkeeper. It would be fair to assume that moving to Chelsea could help him ahead of the European Championships next summer.
Current England number one Jordan Pickford’s spot is there for the taking after a spate of unconvincing displays from him. In short, both Chelsea and England will benefit from Pope moving to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are also interested in Marc Andre-Ter Stegen and Jan Oblak among others. Two of the best in the world, they will not come cheap.
With the Blues squad needing further reinforcements elsewhere, Pope is both a capable and a comparatively economical option.
Pope has emerged as one of the most dependable goalkeepers in the league in recent times. Chelsea will do well to snare the player from Turf Moor.
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