Chelsea’s record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga made the news for the wrong reasons when he refused to come off the pitch during the Carabao Cup final. The Spanish shot-stopper signaled to the bench that he would like to continue the game making Maurizio Sarri lose his cool on the touchline.

The 24-year old Kepa was fined by the club and was dropped to the bench for one game while the club investigated and released official statements addressing the issue. However, in an interview with Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail, the former Athletic Bilbao man says it was caused by his own inexperience.

“It was news around the world,’ says Kepa with a slight shake of his head and a sheepish smile. “People were talking about it and talking badly. It is normal for people to talk. My father spoke to me after when we were at home but he didn’t need to say a lot to me. By then I realised what I had done and there was not a lot left to say.”

”It was a difficult week. It happened on Sunday, on Wednesday I didn’t play against Tottenham and then I was back to play against Fulham. I accepted what the manager said and the club fine and I realised I wouldn’t play the next game. I was right behind Willy and supported him and the team as much as I could.”

“Of course, that was the only thing I could do. It was something I did in the heat of the moment. It’s something I am not very proud of. It was a difficult moment which I’ve learned from and I’m still learning from. Now it’s time for me to look forward. I said I was sorry. Football goes on. We all make mistakes.”

According to the official statements released by the club and player, Sarri decided to replace Kepa and prepared second-choice Caballero. However, Kepa made it clear he wasn’t injured and did not want to come off ahead of the shootout. The Spaniard was the semi-final hero against Tottenham when he saved from Lucas Moura in the same situation.

“The only thing I wanted to say was that I was not injured and I was OK to carry on,’ said Kepa. ”I was not thinking about the penalties. I wasn’t totally aware of everything that had happened. It wasn’t until I looked back for the first time at the images that I realised.”

“I saw it from a different perspective. Until that point, it was like I was in a bubble and wasn’t conscious of what was going on. I started to see it all when I arrived home for the first time and saw the video. That was the first time I realised what happened. I’ve learned a lesson and the next time it will be different. When I am asked to change, I will change.”

While the Chelsea star has had an eventful debut season in England, he can term it as successful as Chelsea are set to finish in the top four. The Blues also have the advantage in the Europa League semi-final having secured a crucial 1-1 draw away at Eintracht Frankfurt.