How De Gea helped Kepa settle in to the English game
Kepa arrived with a huge amount of pressure on him, as the world's most expensive goalkeeper, and has revealed how he has adapted to life in the Premier League.
The differences between LaLiga and the Premier League are well-known, with Spanish keepers often taking time to adapt to the physicality that is necessary in the English top flight.
No one is a better example of that than David De Gea, who took well over a season to adapt to the needs of the new division, before becoming arguably the best player in his position since.
The same process of adaptation was needed when Kepa joined Chelsea in a £72 million move from Athletic Bilbao. While his shot-stopping and passing abilities were never in doubt, would he be able to cope with the rigours of the Premier League?
Luckily for the young Spaniard, he could call upon the advice of Pepe Reina and De Gea, both of whom he knows from the Spanish national team, to help him settle in.
"When I signed for Chelsea David gave me some advice, telling me a bit about how it was for him when he first came here" Kepa explained.
"Every player settles in to a new league in different ways. David and I are different to each other, but he’s a team mate of mine with the national team and we get on really well.
"Of course he’s been here for years now and he is playing at a fantastic level of form. We usually are together on international duty we were at the World Cup together and we did have a chat about the differences between Spanish and English football.
"That’s a good thing, interacting with a goalkeeper who has so much experience in the Premier League."