Chelsea are reportedly considering a summer move for Borussia Dortmund star Roman Burki, one that could cost them in the region of £15 million.
According to The Sun, Chelsea are looking to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga with Roman Burki, to the surprise of many. The Borussia Dortmund stopper is a target for the Blues, with Frank Lampard looking to bring in someone to replace the beleaguered Spaniard after his far from satisfactory showing in goal under the current manager.
Why this comes as a surprise is the conceptualization that Roman Burki could be called the Kepa of Dortmund in a way. The Swiss international has a poor save percentage and is known to be prone to commit errors leading to goals. This begs the question as to why Chelsea would want to replace Kepa with a goalkeeper that is known for similar misdoings.
Chelsea’s need for a safer pair of hands has been demonstrated well this season under Frank Lampard. His fledglings have done him proud going forward. But, the goals leaked at the back has deterred Chelsea from being anywhere close to the elite duo of Liverpool and Manchester City.
Most errors leading to an opposition goal in the last three Bundesliga campaigns:
? Roman Burki – 8 in 90 apps
? Yann Sommer – 8 in 92 apps
? Ron-Robert Zieler – 7 in 68 appsChelsea reportedly want Burki to replace Kepa… pic.twitter.com/FcS9k9XBRa
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 28, 2020
Boasting the worst save percentage in the Premier League for 2019-20 and the most goals conceded from outside the box (6) in the current league campaign, Kepa has been a major let down. Whether it’s a dip in form or actual problems in his technique is yet unknown. But, Chelsea cannot afford to have no quality alternatives if this continues.
Roman Burki is a goalkeeper who has unfortunately become more known for his bloopers and blunders than his performances. The Swiss is known to be quick off his lines, but that can be a weakness as demonstrated in the winner Bayern Munich scored against Dortmund in Der Klassiker.
Like Kepa, Burki is statistically among the worst in Europe and has been called out for his errors more often than not on social media platforms and by pundits. The £15 million valuation might be a reasonable price but bringing Burki in does not serve Chelsea’s purpose of replacing Kepa. For, they will only be replacing ‘Kepa’ and not the problems in the said position by signing Burki.
Perhaps, Chelsea want to add some competition to test Kepa’s ability to bounce back and prove his quality. Still, in such a case, there are options within the nation that would be better suited and contribute to the quota requirement as well. This rumour has baffled many people and this is likely to remain one.
