Reports in Spain have identified the source of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s dodgy displays for his Premier League club.
According to respected Spanish daily El Mundo, the goalie’s friends and family believe a break-up with his childhood sweetheart has had an effect on his form.
Andrea Perez had been dating the world’s most expensive goalkeeper for seven years.
And the shot-stopper was never shy in showing her off to the world, posting several snaps of them together on his social media including one of them exploring the ruins of Tulum in Mexico in July 2017.
The Mirror report that the last time he uploaded a photo of them together was the month before he signed for Chelsea.
He posted a holiday snap on a tropical beach last summer but it showed him sitting alone.
El Mundo described the split as “recent”, claiming: “Those close to him are clear about one of the main reasons for his drop in form, his recent split with his long-term girlfriend.”
Quoting an unnamed friend as saying: “He’s suffering quite badly”, it added: “His partner went with him to London when he left his former club Athletic Bilbao and had been his rock until the relation ended.
“His parents, who still live in the Basque town of Ondarroa, try to spend time with him but emotionally he’s pretty low at the moment.”
Andrea, 25 when Kepa signed for Chelsea, reportedly closed her Instagram account after sparking rumours the goalie was heading for Real Madrid before he left his old club by posting a selfie in a famous park in the Spanish capital.
£71m goalie Kepa was outed as the Premier League’s worst shot-stopper last month based on stats including his overall save percentages.
