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Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has heaped praise on Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for the resilience he has shown to hit top form and regain his place in the team.

Lots of expectations were placed on Kepa, who was signed following the departure of Thibaut Courtois.

However, Kepa struggled to meet the required standard and eventually lost his place to Edouard Mendy.

According to Joe Cole, it showed the strong character and personality of Kepa to come back and regain his shirt.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League clash against RB Salzburg, Blues icon Joe Cole said on BT Sport’s coverage of the game: “We said the manager deserves credit, he deserves credit, he’s showed resilience.

“You have to remember this is Chelsea’s record signing, the next Cech, the next Courtois and it didn’t work for him. He’s come out of the team, he was actively open to leaving the club but he’s knuckled down and he’s the perfect example for young goalkeepers and players that you can rebuild yourself.

“When your goalkeeper is making saves like that it gives you belief, you don’t want your goalkeeper to be making mistakes but you know when it goes wrong he’s going to be wrong. That’s what they’re there for and he’s been fantastic.”