Instead of FC Bayern, Kepa ended up at Real Madrid at short notice this summer. In an interview, the most expensive goalkeeper in the world explains how close the decision was.
In previous years, Kepa almost got lost at the Bernabeu. “Whenever I arrived, I went left to the away dressing room, but I wanted to go right to the home dressing room,” says the goalkeeper, who regularly faced Real Madrid with Chelsea FC. For a few weeks now, he has finally been allowed to turn right.
Because regular keeper Thibaut Courtois tore his cruciate ligament, the Real managers signed Kepa on loan – and snatched him away from FC Bayern. The 28-year-old, still the most expensive keeper in football history since his €80 million switch from Bilbao to Chelsea in 2018, already had one foot in Munich.
FCB CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen had already reported how close the courtship of the Spanish international was. And now Kepa also reveals in an interview with “Marca”: “Thomas Tuchel called me. We were about to fly to Munich. “
Tuchel’s courtship “encourages me a bit “
The fact that he had hardly played at Chelsea under Tuchel obviously wouldn’t have bothered Kepa. The fact that this very coach now wanted him in his team “encourages me a bit”, said Kepa, and “gives me a good feeling”. Nevertheless, the decision against Munich and for Madrid was not too difficult for him.
“It all happened pretty quickly,” he says. “In the end, Real Madrid is Real Madrid. When Real Madrid call you, there is little to think about.” He says he already knew some of the new teammates, as well as the city. “I think the adjustment is much easier in Spain.” Bayern eventually signed the far less experienced Daniel Peretz from Maccabi Tel Aviv.
After a poor season at Chelsea, but one he considers “great” for himself personally, Kepa is now looking forward to the “exciting challenge” of being the regular keeper for months until Courtois’ return. He says he is in contact with the Belgian, whom he inherited from the Blues in 2018, throughout apart from his surgery day. “We talk every day. “
