Kepa Arrizabalaga becomes Chelsea's longest-serving senior player after latest exit

Chelsea have confirmed the departure of versatile defender Ethan Ampadu to Leeds United, leaving Kepa Arrizabalaga as their longest-serving player in the senior squad.

The Blues' summer exodus has seen long-serving stars like Cesar Azpilicueta, N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek depart the club and left Ampadu, who joined from Exeter as a teenager in July 2017.

Ampadu went on to make 12 senior appearances for Chelsea but has now departed for Leeds on a permanent transfer for a fee of around £7m.

"We would like to thank Ethan for his efforts throughout his time at Chelsea. We wish him all the best for the next stage of his career," a club statement read.

Ampadu's exit now leaves Kepa, who moved to Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea's longest-serving senior player.

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Indeed, Kepa is just one of three players in the current Chelsea squad who appeared for the club before 2020, alongside academy graduates Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James.

Hudson-Odoi is set to leave this summer as well after being left out of Chelsea's pre-season squad. The winger has been training with the Under-21s and is understood to have attracted interest from across Europe as well as Major League Soccer and in Saudi Arabia.

One of the challenges for new manager Mauricio Pochettino is naming a new captain following Kepa's exit. The mass departure of senior players leaves Kepa, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling as likely candidates.

"First of all we need to see the squad and I need to know and feel the players and the commitment, the character, the personality, both positives and not so positives. We have many players with experience," Pochettino said of his search for a new captain during his first press conference.

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