Alphonse Areola Reportedly Wanted Summer Transfer to Chelsea

Chelsea goalkeeper coach Christophe Lollichon has said Paris Saint-Germain stopper Alphonse Areola wanted to join the Blues during this summer's transfer window.

Lollichon told Le Figaro (h/t Sky Sports News) that "it would have been a pleasure to work" with Areola, but he also admitted "the final decision was not my responsibility."

Areola "wanted to come" to Stamford Bridge and "spoke a lot in the summer" with Lollichon. However, the Blues eventually decided to pay £71.6 million to acquire Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao, making the 23-year-old the world's most expensive keeper.

Areola's desire to move on from the French capital is understandable since he's being challenged for his spot in PSG's starting XI by Italian veteran Gianluigi Buffon. The 40-year-old former Juventus ace has made three starts so far this season, with Areola reduced to starting twice.

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It's not a situation Lollichon agrees with, telling Le Figaro (h/t Goal's Robin Bairner): "It’s sad to see a club like Paris play a 40-year-old goalkeeper while you have a 25-year-old Areola who meets all expectations."

Lollichon is against the idea of PSG rotating goalkeepers, lamenting the arrangement ex-Chelsea star Petr Cech has suffered under at Arsenal in recent seasons.

He also rated Areola as better than France No. 1 Hugo Lloris of the rival Tottenham Hotspur: "We eulogise about Lloris too much, but Areola is above him."

While his club prospects may have taken a hit, Areola's career is still on the up after he made his first start for France during Thursday's 0-0 draw against Germany in the UEFA Nations League.

Areola stood out with a sting of fine saves:

Chelsea fans may wish Lollichon had gotten his wish and the club had secured Areola as a cheaper alternative to Arrizabalaga. While the former appears to be growing in confidence, opinion must surely be divided on the latter after some worrying moments.

Although Arrizabalaga kept clean sheets in wins over Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth, he was at fault for Arsenal's first goal during a 3-2 win over the Gunners last month. While he got a hand to Henrikh Mkhitaryan's shot, he still let the ball though.

Arrizabalaga was also slow to react when Joselu headed Newcastle United level in a match the Blues eventually won 2-1.

There's no doubt Arrizabalaga has the athleticism and potential to be one of the world's best, but Chelsea may regret not having a viable alternative to push their record signing, with only Willy Caballero and Rob Green in reserve.